Prevention of eating disorders among minority youth: A matched-sample repeated measures study

The purpose of this study was to examine ethnic differences in primary prevention programs for eating disorders in young girls. In order to address the dearth of research in this area, this study examined the comparative response to an eating disorder prevention program on fifth-grade minority and White females. Pre- and post-test data were collected from 10 groups participating in the prevention program for a total of 50 girls. Minority participants and White participants were then matched based on Body Mass Index (BMI) and socioeconomic status in order to examine ethnic differences in group effectiveness. Findings indicated that minority and White participants were equally responsive to the prevention program.