The role of Asian culture in the development of eating disorders in Asian women

Abstract

Eating disorders (EDs) have been documented with one of the highest mortality rates. To date, existing research conducted on eating disorders has been primarily focused on White, Caucasian women, limiting its findings and implications to specific populations. Considering how culture is an unavoidable aspect of how one is socialised, assessing how cultural-specific risk factors may contribute to the development and presentation of EDs would help to inform future interventions to include cultural considerations and sensitivity. With the increasing prevalence and differing symptomology of EDs in Asian women, this review delves into how Asian culture contributes to relevant risk factors in EDs and its related sub-types. With the employment of 37 studies, three main factors were reviewed. First, Asian perceptions and globalisation towards food culture in Asian communities both further informs how cultural changes over time impact Asian women and their eating behaviours. Secondly, family dynamics were noted to be different between Asian and Caucasian families, where maternal influences and familial competition were important risk factors for ED development, in particular towards Bulimia Nervosa (BN). Lastly, social media content, while having previous studies to have shown to promote ED-related behaviours, also possess cultural differences that only Asian communities may be exposed to. In sum, the review emphasises the importance of engaging in multi-pronged approaches when targeting EDs. Future studies may need to further expand the scope of ED studies towards South Asian communities and investigate how these three factors may be interactive in various ED subtypes.