Binge eating and purging in a multi-ethnic community sample.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study is to document the frequency of three eating disorder-related behaviors (binge eating; self-induced vomiting; and use of laxatives, diuretics, and diet pills) among a multi-ethnic community sample. METHOD A questionnaire was administered to 1225 Hispanic, Asian, black, and white women and men. Participants responded to items (based on DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for eating disorders) about binge eating and purging behavior. RESULTS Binge eating and purging were more common among women than among men in Hispanic, black, and white subsamples (frequency rates were similar among Asian men and women). Ethnic differences were found in frequency of purging among women (ethnicity was not associated with behavior rates among men). Fewer Asian than Hispanic, black, and white women induced vomiting and used laxatives, diuretics, and diet pills as weight control methods. CONCLUSION The fact that frequency rates differed as a function of participant sex and ethnicity underscores the importance of considering both of these group variables when examining disordered eating and weight control behaviors.