The prevalence of bulimia among Asian American women

The prevalence of bulimia in the general population is still not clearly known; however, it appears to be quite high in young, Caucasian (henceforth referred to as European American), college-aged women. Limited research has been done on the prevalence of bulimia among minority populations. This survey research study focused on the assessment of eating disorders in the Asian community using the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2) and the EDI-Symptom Checklist (EDI-SC). In addition, a fifteen-question survey of generational history, socioeconomic status, and ethnic subgroup affiliation was administered along with the EDI-2 and the EDI-SC. These variables were examined as possible predictors of bulimia nervosa. The final result showed that out of 257 Asian American females, only two, or 0.78%, could be diagnosed as bulimic. Furthermore, one-way ANOVA analyses of subgroup differences in the eleven subscales found in the EDI-2 and the three possible predictors of bulimia nervosa showed no statistically significant differences. In conclusion, the prevalence rate of bulimia among Asian American college-aged females is less than 1%.