EATING DISTURBANCE AND BODY-IMAGE - A COMPARISON OF A COMMUNITY SAMPLE OF ADULT BLACK-AND-WHITE WOMEN

Objective: This study examined racial differences in eating disorder s ymptomatology in a community-based sample of middle-aged adult Black a nd White women and investigated predictors of body image dissatisfacti on in these two different racial groups, since most research has focus ed on young adult White women. Method: Subjects (538 Black and White w omen) completed the Eating Disorder Inventory and measures of social p ressures about thinness and negative attitudes about overweight. Resul ts: Black and White women reported comparable levels of eating disturb ance. However, after controlling for degree of overweight, White women had significantly greater rates of body dissatisfaction than Black wo men. Nonetheless, both racial groups reported considerable body image dissatisfaction and similar factors were found to predict body dissati sfaction for Black and White women. Discussion: Our data and other rec ent data indicate that earing disturbance occurs across a much broader age, race, and socioeconomic distribution than previously suspected. Research implications are discussed. (C) 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, In c.