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October 10th, 2005

It is no secret that body image concerns are widespread among the college population. Although many students are ashamed that they experience these types of difficulties and those with eating-disorders and usually have a hard time admitting that their behavior is causing them any problems. Because of this many disorders go unreported and students never get the help they need. The Center for the Study of Collegiate Mental Health conducted a study about these behaviors among students to increase awareness and encourage college counselors to address these issues.

They found that even though body image concerns and eating disorders are typically associated with young, heterosexual, White women, ethnic minority women are reporting concerns at similar levels. Among female students who reported experiencing rates of moderate to high eating and body image concerns 16 percent were White, 15.5 percent Asian-American, 12 percent Hispanic or Latina, and 11.5 percent African American.

Body image concerns were prevalent among the entire female college student population. When asked about the statement “The less I eat, the better I feel about myself” 44 percent of female students gave it some endorsement and 9 percent of them strongly endorsed it. Among those who were seeking counseling, 15 percent of women reported moderate to high levels of eating and body image concerns overall. About .5 percent of women reported purging to control their weight.

But this is not a female only problem and men struggle with body concerns as well. The study found that 4 percent of male students reported moderate to high levels of such difficulties, and 16 percent of homosexual male students did. Interestingly, while there is a significant difference in these levels when comparing heterosexual male students to homosexual ones, there is little difference in the rates of body and eating concerns when comparing heterosexual female students with lesbian or bisexual ones.

Given the results of the study the Center for the Study of Collegiate Mental Health suggests that college counselors avoid making assumptions about body issues based on stereotypes and begin evaluating eating and body image issues consistently. They also concluded that while some types of eating disorder symptoms might be commonly found among the college population, other symptoms like forms of purging or strong endorsement of restrictive eating are strong signs for more serious and abnormal distress. The Center suggests that counselors use these findings to better evaluate students and help them recognize the severity and importance of these symptoms when compared to their peers. Once students are able to see that their behavior is abnormal, they may be more likely to change it.

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