Occurrence of Eating Disorders

In the United States and other Western countries, women are more at risk for eating disorders than are men. These disorders affect 8 to 10 times more women than men. In the U.S., it was thought that eating disorders affected mostly white women. But, recent research has shown that black women are affected as well. One study found that black women were more likely than white women to have repeated episodes of binge eating disorder. This may put black women more at risk for obesity (being overweight).

Women may be more at risk for eating disorders because of a need to have the "ideal" figure often shown in the media (TV, magazines, movies). The "thin is best" view can affect girls and young women in particular. They often go on strict diets to look like the girls and women they see in the media. Pressure from friends to be thin and to diet can also happen. For women, body image, or how you feel about how you look, can affect feelings about body weight. Not liking how much you weigh, feeling fat, and wanting to be thin can make you worry more about how you look than other things, such as your own ideas or what you want to do in your life. Sometimes, young women who are at a normal weight, or even underweight, may feel that they are too fat. A woman may also feel that how she looks or how much she weighs makes up a major part of her self-esteem. While young women may be most at risk for eating disorders, these disorders are affecting older women in growing numbers.