This is part of my binge eating/ADHD article, though it's a different topic that isn't reflected by the title of article:
Exploring the influence of ethnic identity on self-understanding could also help prevent eating disorders, suggests a study last September in the Journal of Black Studies. Using surveys, the study found that African-American women with higher levels of ethnic identity were less likely to develop binge eating and bulimia, whereas for Caucasian women, higher levels of ethnic identity posed a greater risk of disordered eating. Study author Mary Shuttlesworth, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Maryland, explains that Caucasian ideals tend to emphasize thinness and focus strictly on appearance, whereas African-American beauty ideals often include “other aspects of the self aside from physical appearance; acceptance of different body shapes and sizes; and allowing beauty to encompass personality, style or attitude.” She suggests that prevention programs could focus on building in all people, regardless of race, the elements characteristic of African-American ethnic identity.
-from Scientific American Mind, March/April 2012
