Introduction
Acculturation refers to a situation in which members of a cultural group pick the beliefs and practices of another group. In most cases, it is in the direction of a minority group. This results in various problems such as eating disorders. It is likely to result in eating disorders in two ways. Major cultural changes an individual undergoes may result in mental illness. The result can be stress and disordered eating behaviors. Alternatively, it can alter the attitude and views of an individual. This can increase vulnerability to eating disorders (Hyland, 1). This paper seeks to reveal the relationship between acculturation and eating disorders. It focuses on western countries.
Effects of Acculturation on Eating Behaviors
Western countries have reported most of the cases of eating disorders. Consequently, the disorders are conceptualized worldwide as western phenomena (Goetz 1). The most affected are natives of western countries. However, individuals of other ethnic groups have been noted to have eating disorders in recent years. Research done has indicated that acculturation has been the main cause of this observation (Chan, Ku & Owens 294).
One study examined the mental connection of eating abnormalities among students of Chinese origin in the United States. It aimed at determining the effects of acculturation of the Chinese students in the United States. It found that female Chinese students, who were highly acculturated, had higher eating disorders. In addition, the female students were dissatisfied with their body sizes. The desire to be thin was the main cause of eating disorders (Davis & Katzman 67).
Another study focused on the relations between acculturation and body shape concerns in Fiji. The study noted that many individuals in Fiji were concerned with their body shapes. Consequently, they picked eating disorders from other western countries. The country was undergoing political, social, and economic changes, hence exposed to other cultures. It concluded that acculturation had a strong influence on body shape concerns in the country (Becker et al 43).
Racial teasing also has a considerable contribution to eating disorders in western countries (Franko 35). A study focused on the effect of racial teasing on the eating behavior of minority women in the U.S. The study was titled “body image and eating disturbance among south Asian-American women”. It focused on the role of teasing of the women. The results indicated that the psychological impact of racially teasing the women led to body image disturbance. However, it concluded that acculturation did not result in eating disorders among this group (Sahi & Haslam 145).
Nevertheless, another study reinforced the belief that acculturation is related to eating disorders. The study aimed at finding the relationship between acculturation and eating disorders among Asian and Caucasian Australian youths. The goal was to compare eating behaviors between the two groups. The findings were that eating disorders were common among Asian youth. The less acculturated Asian youths were most likely to have eating disorders (Jennings et al 57).
In one of the studies, the relationship between acculturation and eating disorders was found to be non-existent. The study compared cognitive and behavioral symptoms between American and Mexican eating abnormalities. The study compared patients who had anorexia nervosa or bulimia. It concluded that cultural practices influenced eating disorders. Additionally, it found that acculturation levels were not linked with the two diseases (Caballero, Sunday & Halmi 43).
Conclusions
Generally, acculturation has a strong impact on the eating behaviors of individuals (Alegria et al 15). The table attached summarizes the results of various studies done on the issue. As evident in the table, most of the researchers have noted that acculturation and eating disorders are strongly related in western countries. It resulted in body image concerns and a need for perfection, hence eating disorders.
References
Alegria, Margarita et al. “Prevalence and Correlates of Eating Disorders in Latinos in the United States”. International Journal of Eating Disorders (2007): Vol. 40: No. 1: 15–21. Print.
Becker, Anne et al. “Facets of Acculturation and their Diverse Relations to Body Shape Concern in Fiji”. International Journal of Eating Disorders (2007): Vol. 40: No. 1: 42–50. Print.
Caballero, Alejandro, Sunday, Suzanne and Halmi, Katherine. “A Comparison of Cognitive and Behavioral Symptoms between Mexican and American Eating Disorder Patients.” International Journal of Eating Disorders (2003): Vol. 34. No. 136–141. Print.
Chan, Carina, Ku, Youngeun and Owens, Glynn. “Perfectionism and Eating Disturbances in Korean Immigrants: Moderating Effects of Acculturation and Ethnic Identity”. Asian Journal of Social Psychology (2010): Vol. 13. No. 3: 293–302. Print.
Franko, Debra. “Race, Ethnicity and Eating Disorders: Considerations for DSM-V”. International Journal of Eating Disorders (2007): Vol. 40. No. 3: 31–34. Print.
Goetz, Margarethe. “Dietary Acculturation, Physical Activity and Body Image in Limited-Resource Latino Women in Northern Virginia”. 2003. Web.
Hyland, Colleen. “Acculturation and Eating Attitudes and Behaviors in Female Chinese and Caucasian University Students: A Correlation and Comparative Study”. 1995. Web.
Jennings, Piangchai et al. “Acculturation and Eating Disorders in Asian and Caucasian Australian Adolescent Girls”. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (2005): Vol. 59. No. 1: 56–61. Print.
Davis, Cindy and Katzman, Melanie. “Perfection as Acculturation: A Study of the Psychological Correlates of Eating Problems in Chinese Male and Female Students Living in the United States”. International Journal of Eating Problems (1999): Vol. 25. No. 1: 65-70. Print.
Sahi, Dana and Haslam, Nick. “Body Image and Eating Disturbance among South Asian-American Women: The Role of Racial Teasing”. International Journal of Eating Disorders (2003): Vol. 34. No. 2: 142–147. Print.