Ethnic differences in eating disorder symptoms among college students: Theconfounding role of body mass index

Eating disorders are among the most common psychopathologies on college cam puses. Research on ethnic differences in eating disorder symptoms and preva lence has resulted in conflicting conclusions. Some studies find that parti cular ethnic groups have a higher prevalence of a symptom; others find that members of that ethnic group have a lower prevalence of the same symptom. The authors explored the role of body mass index (BMI), one potential confo und. They used a reliable measure of eating disorder symptoms to assess dif ferences between Hispanic, Asian, and non-Hispanic White college women from two separate samples. After controlling for BMI, ethnic differences in eat ing disorder symptoms of concern about weight and shape disappeared, but di fferences in restrained eating remained. Inconsistent findings in the ethni c-difference literature on eating disorders may result from systematic grou p differences in BMI. Implications for college health programs, counseling, and case finding are discussed.