Back to Search
Start Over
Eating disorders and body image in Spanish and Mexican female adolescents.
- Source :
- Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology; Jul2006, Vol. 41 Issue 7, p556-565, 10p, 8 Charts
- Publication Year :
- 2006
-
Abstract
- <bold>Objective: </bold>To compare the prevalence of eating disorders (ED), socio-cultural risk factors, and body image characteristics in two populations of female adolescents, one Mexican and one Spanish, from similar socio-economic backgrounds.<bold>Method: </bold>A total of 467 Spanish and 329 Mexican girls aged from 11-12 to 17-18 years were assessed using the Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26), the CETCA (Eating Disorders Assessment Questionnaire), the CIMEC (Questionnaire on Influences on Body Shape Model), and a survey of socio-demographic and risk factors produced for this study.<bold>Results: </bold>One out of four subjects showed a significant risk of an eating disorder and 6-7% probably already had one. No significant differences were found between the two samples. Significant differences were found in risk behaviors: more Spanish girls reported body dissatisfaction and binging; more Mexican girls had a history of psychiatric and psychological treatment, pressure from parents and friends to lose weight, dieting, physical activity and vomiting to lose weight, and a history of greater weight loss. In both the groups around 50% of subjects wanted to increase the size of their breasts. However, significantly more Mexican girls desired thinner arms and narrower shoulders and back, and more Spanish girls wanted thinner hips, buttocks, and legs, parts of the body that many Mexicans wanted to increase.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Risk behaviors and the ideal body models of these Spanish and Mexican adolescent girls varied significantly, indicating major socio-cultural differences. However, the prevalence of ED was similar. Further research should aim to clarify whether the similarities found between this Spanish sample and a Mexican sample taken from an upper-middle class urban environment, a minority that is unrepresentative of the general population, are also observed in samples from other sectors of Mexican society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- EATING disorders
BODY image
TEENAGE girls
BULIMIA diagnosis
PSYCHIATRIC diagnosis
PSYCHIATRIC epidemiology
BODY size
ANOREXIA nervosa
BULIMIA
COMPARATIVE studies
RESEARCH methodology
MEDICAL cooperation
MENTAL illness
MYERS-Briggs Type Indicator
PSYCHOLOGICAL tests
QUESTIONNAIRES
RESEARCH
SOCIAL values
WEIGHT loss
ETHNOLOGY research
COMORBIDITY
SOCIOECONOMIC factors
EVALUATION research
DIAGNOSIS
PSYCHOLOGY
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09337954
- Volume :
- 41
- Issue :
- 7
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 21385474
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-006-0067-x