Sociocultural Correlates of Eating Disorders among Asian Schoolgirls in Bradford

• Published in: British journal of psychiatry Vol. 158; no. 2; pp. 222 - 228
• Main Authors: Mumford, David B., Whitehouse, Andrew M., Platts, Margaret
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.02.1991; RCP
• Subjects: Acculturation; Adolescent; Anorexia; Anorexia Nervosa - epidemiology; Asia - ethnology; Bulimia; Bulimia - epidemiology; Bulimia nervosa; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Eating disorders; England - epidemiology; Ethnic Groups; Factor analysis; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Feeding and Eating Disorders - epidemiology; Female; Girls; Humans; Personality Inventory - standards; Prevalence; Psychometrics; Sex Factors; Sociocultural factors; Surveys and Questionnaires - standards; Westernization; England; Asia
• ISSN: 0007-1250; 1472-1465
• DOI: 10.1192/bjp.158.2.222

A survey of 204 south-Asian and 355 Caucasian schoolgirls was conducted in Bradford using the EAT-26 and the BSQ. At interview, seven Asian girls and two Caucasian girls met DSM–III—R criteria for bulimia nervosa, yielding a prevalence of 3.4% and 0.6% respectively. One Asian girl met DSM–III–R criteria for anorexia nervosa. Factor analyses of the EAT and BSQ supported their cross-cultural conceptual equivalence in this south-Asian population. Among the Asians, high EAT and BSQ scores were associated with a more traditional cultural orientation and not with greater Westernisation. It is probable that these findings reflect the cultural and familial difficulties faced by these Asian girls growing up in Britain.