Ethnic Differences in Age of Onset and Prevalence of Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviours: a School-Based South African Study

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To determine the age of onset and prevalence figures for disordered eating for diverse ethnic groups among a sample of South African schoolgirls.Method: A cross-sectional design was implemented. Two questionnaires were used to elicit prevalence figures and attitudes towards eating.Results: The study population (n = 418) consisted of black and white schoolgirls in various educational phases. Black students were found to experience a significant increase in reported bulimia-associated behaviours in grades seven to nine (mean age 13.7 years) but did not report any significant increases in drive for thinness; body dissatisfaction or poor eating attitudes across the different phases. White students reported significant increases in all measured disordered eating attitudes and behaviours in grades 10-12 (mean age 16.7 years). In grades four to six; black and white students did not differ with respect to their reported disordered eating attitudes and behaviours. However; in grades seven to nine; black students were more likely to report bulimia-associated behaviours than their white counterparts. The most apparent differences emerged in grades 10-12. White students reported significantly higher drive for thinness; greater body dissatisfaction and poorer eating attitudes than their black counterparts. Furthermore; the ethnic differences that emerged during grades seven to nine with respect to bulimia disappeared in grades 10-12.Conclusion: This study fills the hiatus in the existing South African literature with respect to age of onset and prevalence of disordered eating attitudes and behaviours across ethnic boundaries. Furthermore; it creates a foundation for developing appropriate strategies to address eating disorders in the multicultural South African context