Obesity, body image, and eating disorders in ethnically diverse children and adolescents.

Abstract

Into the 21st century, as populations throughout the world become more and more ethnically diverse, the study of ethnicity will continue to have ever-increasing importance. In addition, with the consumption of fatty, sugar-laden convenience foods and higher levels of sedentary behavior, the rates of obesity, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptomatology among ethnically diverse children and adolescents will also continue to rise. This chapter reviews the ways in which obesity and body dissatisfaction are related to the development of eating disorders among ethnically diverse youth within the United States,' with a focus on treatment implications. Our goals are to (a) identify important culture-related constructs; (b) examine the prevalence of obesity by ethnicity as a context within which eating and weight-related problems arise; (c) review the literature on body image, body type preference, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptomatology among ethnically diverse children and adolescents; (d) identify methodological limitations of the current literature; and (e) suggest future directions and implications for modifying treatment for these often neglected populations.'Of note, there also have been within country as well as across-country studies of ethnicity among children and adolescents conducted outside the United States which are unfortunately beyond the scope of this chapter (for a review, see e.g.,

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