Eating Disorders and Race, Essay Example

Step 1. The first article that I chose to review is called “Prevalence of Eating Disturbance and Body Image Dissatisfaction in Young Girls: An Examination of the Variance Across Racial and Socioeconomic Groups,” by Marissa DeLeel, Tammy Hughes and Jeffrey Miller, Allison Hipwell, and Lea Theodore. The article was published in 2009 in Psychology in the Schools, and focused on the prevalence of eating disorders among different racial groups. The study separated out the concept of eating disorders with that of body image, and challenged the common belief that eating disturbances and body image dissatisfaction occurs mainly in white females from upper socioeconomic backgrounds.

The study was conducted using females ages 9-10 participating in the Pittsburgh Girls Study, a community-wide longitudinal study focusing on the development of a variety of problem behaviors in girls. Participants were classified into two categories: those receiving public assistance, and those not receiving public assistance. The measures used for this study consisted of two separate instruments: to assess eating disturbance, the ChEAT scale was used, a measure that was developed for children ages 8 to 13 to establish the prevalence of eating disturbance in children and to make comparisons with adolescent and adult populations. ChEAT questions are measured on a scale of 1 (always) to 6 (never), with scores ranging from 0 to 78; scores greater than 20 are associated with anorexia. In addition, a second instrument was used, the Body Image Measurement, or BIM, an instrument designed to measure the degree of body dissatisfaction of the respondents.

The research study found that maladaptive eating disturbance occurred in girls as young as nine years old and that the onset of puberty is not necessarily a precondition for the development of an eating disorder (DeLeel et al., 2009.) Perhaps most significantly, white females from upper socioeconomic status were not the only populations considered to be at risk for developing eating disturbances. The researchers suggest that clinicians need to be aware of their own biases and stereotypes regarding racial differences in order to not overlook eating disturbances in minority populations. Recommendations at the conclusion of the study were that male populations be studied for eating disturbances, as well as a more diverse sampling of study subjects regarding SES, age, and race. Finally, the conclusions include a recommendation that prevention and better treatment for eating disturbances are essential components of identifying these disorders.

Step 2: In an article covering similar issues, Karen Lurie explored “Anorexia and Race” on July 25, 2003, appearing on the website www.ScienCentral.com . The article described a study that had been published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, dated July 1, 2003, called “Eating Disorders in Black and White Women,” and conducted by a group of mental health professionals led by Ruth Striegel-Moore, PhD. Ms. Lurie described that the study utilized surveys to measure more than 2000 young black and white females and their ownership of eating disorders, in particular anorexia nervosa. This study found that black women were less likely to develop certain eating disorders than their female white counterparts, especially anorexia. Lurie reported that the authors of this study speculated that black culture may put less pressure on women to be thin, so that “as a culture, black culture may have protective factors” (Lurie, 2003.) In addition, the study found only four cases of bulimia among black women as compared to 23 among the white population; there were 15 cases of binge eating disorder among the black population as compared to 27 for the white women. The study also found that black women were less likely to seek treatment for eating disturbances than white women.

Step 3: The article written by Ms. Lurie was presented in a much less formal manner than the scholarly summary of the study described above. The language was less technical and scientific, and clearly the audience for this article was different than the summary of the study done by DeLeel , et al: the second article was written for a lay audience, as evidenced by its informal language and the ability of the reader to click on certain names or concepts such as “genetic vulnerability,” in order to have them explained more thoroughly.  The article did not lack complete scientific examination since it did contain links to the original study to which it referred.

Both articles focused on dispelling the myth that eating disorders are limited almost exclusively to white, upper-class females, making it clear that eating disturbances cut across racial, gender, and socioeconomic lines.  While eating disturbances may be seen less commonly in various ethnic groups, or in different forms (as in the Lurie article, which described bulimia and binge eating as more common in the African American population than anorexia nervosa, for example) they occur in all populations.  In addition, both articles discussed the lack of qualitative studies that have been done on the subjects of whether eating disorders affect all races, and if so, if those impacts occur at equal rates.

The most significant difference between the two articles was the language as well as the presumption of scientific knowledge that appeared in the scholarly article.  That article was intended to be consumed by other researchers, scientists, academics, and/or students who might be inclined to continued to examine the subject in further study.  In addition, the scholarly article was organized in a formal manner, appropriately dry, that included an abstract, an introduction, a discussion of methodology, results, and conclusions with recommendations.  The Lurie article was written to capture the interest of the reader, containing information and quotes which had as its sole purpose capturing the attention of the consumer as well as educating that person in a way that was interesting, yet easy to understand for the average lay reader.

The value of the scholarly article is that it informed a community of interested parties about an important study, opening the door for future scholarly inquiry about that, and similar topics, such as suggesting that it would be useful to study the incidence of males and eating disorders.  The importance of the Lurie article was that it informs a wide readership about a problem issue that bears relevance to women, their daughters, and others who are in a position to recognize eating disturbances at a point early enough to intervene and perhaps prevent a full blown eating disorder from developing.  This article presents complicated information in a way that is understandable to a wide group of people who can make use of it.

The scholarly article has the drawback of being presented in such a technical manner that it might not be possible for readers outside its specialized audience to understand or have access to the very important information it contains.  For example, teachers and parents who are in a position to spot early signs of an eating disturbance are not likely to have access to, or fully comprehend the invaluable information that the study’s results contain.  Regarding cons of the Lurie article, I honestly am unable to name any negatives because it presents complex information in a manner that has the potential to reach and educate a variety of people who might not otherwise recognize the seriousness of eating disorders outside the population of white, upper-class females.

The scholarly approach to presenting this issue is superior to a popular media version of it because it is most likely to reach people who are in a position to effect policy changes; in addition, it promotes a cotinuation of scholarly examination of the topic, suggesting that studies never resolve issues completely so that open-ended examination is valuable.  On the other hand, the popular media approach to this topic is best because it has the potential to have an impact on the greatest number of people, including those who might not otherwise have access to this issue that is so important to the healthy development of all children.

I believe that professors require peer-reviewed and professional organizational publications to be utilized by students in order to expose students to a more formal, methodical way of looking at topics.  Anyone can become involved in sexual activities, but it takes an objective, clinical detachment to understand all and specific aspects of sexuality, resulting in a different perspective that might conceivably enhance self-awareness.  Why study sex?  Can we ever really know all that we might about the subject, without reading or consulting the viewpoints of others?

Step 4: Conclusion: Reading these two articles made it clear that the onset of eating disorders. warrants continued examination in an effort to conceivably prevent them from occurring in the first place. Although the stereotype of the eating disordered teenager is that of a middle-or upper-class white female, the literature demonstrates that eating disorders are a problem, in various forms, for a racially varied population. If parents or professionals who work with teenagers were more familiar with the information that was presented in both articles, they stand improved chances of identifying these disturbances at an early enough point to take action that will stop the behaviors and beliefs. Eating disorders are intertwined with the issue of body image, a problem that is exacerbated by images presented in mass media that exalt the image of extremely thin bodies as if they are the norm as well is the ideal. In fact, the vast majority of healthy people do not typically resemble the people who appear in television shows, advertisements, and other media outlets that are widely viewed by young people and adults. These articles educate those people who are in a position to help prevent eating disturbances, and although presented differently, the information is invaluable to both the academic world, as well as the general public.

References:

Lurie, K. (2003, July 25). Anorexia and Race. Retrieved January 2, 2012, from ScienCentral Archive: http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?article_id=218392017

DeLeel, M. L., Hughes, T. L., Miller, J. A., Hipwell, A. and Theodore, L. A. (2009). Prevalence of Eating Disturbance and Body Image Dissatisfaction in Young Girls: An Examination of the Variance Across Racial and Socioeconomic Groups. Retrieved January 2, 2012, from Wiley InterScience: www.interscience.wiley.com