By JoAnn Weaver
Eating disorders are on the rise in America, and the Black community is not immune from the trend.
Research published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychologyin 2018 found that Black girls were at higher initial levels of all eating disorder symptoms. They do register a greater decline of symptoms over time.
Black girls had a greater likelihood of being in the decreasing trajectories for dieting, bulimia/food preoccupation, and total eating disorder symptom scores.
White girls were more likely to follow increasing trajectories of dieting and total eating disorder symptom scores compared to Black girls, according to that same study.
The onus does go back to parents, families, coaches and the communities in which we live in to keep our kids healthy.
There is limited research regarding how eating disorders affect Black children, according to Melissa Spann, chief clinical officer at Monte Nido & Affiliates, although they are less likely to be diagnosed with anorexia than white children.
“However, once the diagnosis is made, they’ve often been struggling for a longer period of time, so what that tells us is that people are struggling in silence and that eating disorders are going undiagnosed, and some of that research comes particularly from primary physicians,” she said.
Spann said a diagnosis of this disorder usually means that a Black child may have suffered longer than a white child due to lack of questioning by a primary care physician.
“In general, the sort of research says that BIPOC folks are less likely than white folks to be asked by a doctor about eating disorders,” she said.
“That’s concerning certainly when we talk about the onset and development in eating disorders.”
One of the more alarming numbers is how Black children are disproportionately affected by bulimia, or the act of purging the stomach after eating a meal.
“This is probably one of the more staggering statistics about eating disorders in the Black community that I’ve seen, which is that Black teenagers are 50% more likely than white teenagers to exhibit bulimic behavior,” she said.
Spann said the stigma around mental health services also sometimes blocks treatment.
“I think that’s sort of the mixed bag and overall I think within the Black community that the question is actually how often are mental health services sought in general, and so I think in different populations, there’s significant stigmas associated with mental health, and as a result of that, people might be less likely to ask for help in addition to physicians asking the questions to make appropriate diagnoses; sort of both of those things together can certainly contribute to individuals not getting the help that they need,” she said.
Spann went on to talk about how monitoring this behavior and seeking treatment when appropriate would be the best course of action to combat the disorder.
“The onus does go back to parents, families, coaches and the communities in which we live in to keep our kids healthy,” she said.
With students back in school and college, parents should be aware of eating disorders as numbers are rising.
The start of the school year can be a new beginning for some, while the pressures can lead to unhealthy ways of coping for others, including behaviors indicative of eating disorders.
Eating disorders have been on the rise on school campuses. In fact, it is estimated that between 10% to 20% of women and 4% to 10% of men in college suffer from an eating disorder.
“Back to school brings on a lot of different stressors and pressures, so there are adjustments to new teachers, new schedules, often times if kids are playing any kind of sports or, what are they doing after school, then it’s figuring out how to fit in both academically and socially,” Spann said
“All of those things sort of become a little bit of a melting pot of potential challenges to mental health, and from that is where we can see unhealthy habits develop.”
Oftentimes with eating disorders, people think about being a smaller body or weight loss, and that’s especially in different communities with different populations, that’s where eating disorders get missed.
According to Spann, medical professionals observe this disorder start to notice eating develop in middle/high school. When asked about warning signs, she said families should pay attention to sudden changes in a child’s eating habits.
“There’s a lot of different warning signs to pay attention to so I think for families in particular, one of the biggest warning signs is if you’re coming from a family where you guys eat together and suddenly your kid refuses to eat with you or is eating in the room or wants to eat somewhere else that’s something to be mindful of,” she said.
“If you see any changes or fluctuations in weight, oftentimes with eating disorders people think about being a smaller body or weight loss, and that’s especially in different communities with different populations, that’s where eating disorders get missed.”
Spann pointed out that binge eating is also a form of eating disorder.
“It can also be someone who is eating and then exercising really hard to lose the weight or purging in any sort of way, or it could be hiding or hoarding or stealing food, or whatever would be normal for that particular kid,” the medical officer said.
