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Eating Disorders in Teenagers. The Incidence in Boys is on the Rise.

November 26th, 2007 | by Timothy Kintzel, M.D. |

A study recently out of Wesleyan University looked at the break down of weight control practises amongst teenagers of different ethnic backgrounds.  These included dieting, vigourous exercise, purging,  and using diet products.  What was found was that there were racial differences among the sexes, although overall, more girls than boys practised these activities.  Among the girls, whites were the most likley to follow these practises, followed by hispanics, and blacks.  However, among boys, whose overall incidence rose significantly between 1995 and 2005, whites were the least likely to exhibit weight control measures. They were followed by blacks and then hispanics.  

The researchers state that the major finding is the overall jump in the number of  males developing eating disorders, although black females continue to avoid the temptation to purge.  This second fact is likely an ethno-social phenomenon.

Reference: Chao et al, Int J Eat Disord. 2007 Nov 15