The purpose of this study was to examine ethnic differences in primary prevention programs for eating disorders in young girls. In order to address the dearth of research in this area, this study examined the comparative response to an eating disorder prevention program on fifth-grade minority and White females. Pre- and post-test data were collected from 10 groups participating in the prevention program for a total of 50 girls. Minority participants and White participants were then matched based on Body Mass Index (BMI) and socioeconomic status in order to examine ethnic differences in group effectiveness. Findings indicated that minority and White participants were equally responsive to the prevention program.

Objective. To investigate media and cultural influences in eating disorder development in African-American adolescent females. Method. Fifty-seven participants were recruited through churches and community organizations to complete a questionnaire. Results. Mainstream sociocultural identification was associated with more eating disorder behavior in African-American females; cultural ethnic identification was not significantly associated with eating disorder behavior in African-American females, mainstream sociocultural identification, cultural ethnic identification, and body dissatisfaction significantly predicted eating disorder behavior; and cultural ethnic identification was positively correlated with mainstream sociocultural identification. This study provides support for the importance of eating disorder prevention interventions that focus specifically on African-American girls.