Bulimarexia and Black women: A brief report.

Abstract

Bulimarexia (bulimia, or the binge-purge syndrome) is characterized by frequent binge eating during which an inordinate amount of food is consumed in a relatively short period of time (Boskind-Lodahl & White, 1978). In an attempt to rid oneself of the dreaded calories, the bulimarexic typically purges by self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, or fasting. Secondary characteristics such as perfectionism, isolationism, a strong commitment to please others, a negative body image, and lowered self-esteem following the binge-purge ritual have also been delineated (White & Boskind-White, 1981).Estimates of the incidence of bulimia vary depending on the population under investigation and on the way the syndrome is operationally defined. Female college students have received most of the research attention, primarily because of the convenience of sampling this population and because college women are within the age range in which anorexia and bulimarexia have historically been evidenced (Casper, 1983). Furthermore, students possess the sociocultural characteristics believed to be pathognomonic of bulimarexiaa concern with thinness, insecurities caused by separation from family, strong interest in pleasing others, particularly the opposite sex, and strong achievement motivation (Boskind-White & White, 1983).To date, reported research studies and clinical observations regarding the binge-purge syndrome have been conducted exclusively with white college students. It has not yet been empirically determined whether black women have the same incidence Requests for reprints should be sent to William C. White,

Characteristics of black treatment seekers for eating disorders

“…16,17 Additionally, black participants reported higher body dissatisfaction than white participants but a trend toward less fear of weight gain. Black participants reported a greater discrepancy between their current and ideal weights when compared to white participants, a finding that was contrary to previous community studies.…”

The prevalence of bulimia in a black college population

“…This leaves open the question of how prevalent the disorder is among other ethnic groups. Only four studies to date include references to ethnic demographics (Herzog, 1982;Nevo, 1985;Pyle, Mitchell, & Eckert, 1981;White, Hudson, & Campbell, 1985). Although Herzog (1982) and Pyle et al (1981) included ethnic demographics in their studies, all of their bulimic subjects were Caucasian.…”

“…Although Herzog (1982) and Pyle et al (1981) included ethnic demographics in their studies, all of their bulimic subjects were Caucasian. The only two studies to date which attempted to provide some information on the comparative ethnic characteristics of bulimics were the studies by Nevo (1985) and White et al (1985). Nevo sampled 689 college women between the ages of 17 and 30.…”

“…Although the number of Black women in the sample was too low to analyze statistically, these women had lower scores on a bulimia diagnostic instrument than the Caucasian women in the sample. White, Hudson, and Campbell (1985) in a brief report presented findings of a survey given to 244 Black college women and 110 Caucasian college women equated for age and socioeconomic status. Preliminary analysis suggested that Black subjects, although heavier, were more positive regarding their current weight and body image.…”

Body Image, Race, and Fashion Models

“…Studies show that Blacks are less concerned about weight than are Whites (White, Hudson, & Campbell, 1985), exhibit fewer weight-reduction behaviors such as dieting and exercising (Kann & Ross, 1996), and have lower incidences of eating disorders than Whites (Gray, Ford, & Kelly, 1987). Ironically, however, African Americans exhibit these positive body-image attributes despite having higher body-mass index scores and higher fat composition than Whites (Akan & Grilo, 1995;Ellis, Abrams, & Wong, 1997;Field, Colditz, & Peterson, 1997;French et al, 1997).…”