Ideas and perception about weight and shape have been overvalued by the eating behavior. Eating disorders are narrowly categorized into two, that is, bulimia nervosa (BN) and anorexia nervosa (AN). Anorexia nervosa is a disorder characterized by food avoidance with a goal to grow thin. The disorder contributes to clinically considerable loss of weight. Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by loss of eating control (Lask B, 2005). The two eating disorders pose a discrete treatment response, outcome, and course. The cultures of the contemporary world idealize and take eating serious considering the image of their bodies. There are perceptions of how a great body figure should look. This notion of perfect body image has really influenced people eating behaviors. However, these behaviors have a great impact on psychological and physiological development, especially on adolescent girls. These girls aspire to have perfect body images as influenced by the mass media and favorite celebrities of their choice. Consequently, fat girls engage on food avoidance to lose weight and these results to underweight which is unhealthy medically (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). On the contrary, slim girls tend to eat disorderly and lack control over eating with an objective to grow relatively "fat" to obtain those body curves perceived by the peers to be desirable. This paper is going to focus on eating disorders among adolescent girls as influenced by their cultures considering psychological and physiological development.
The bodies of human female species are perceived to be artifacts culturally. Cultures from different parts of the universe define and redefine the perfect body of a woman. These perceptions influence the young girls on to attain the desired body image. The minds of females have become socially, economically and politically independent in the recent past. Food ingestion pathology and perfect body image matters are recognized to have a massive impact on all ethnic and racial affiliations. The eating habits and disturbances form a conclusion on children and adolescents based on body image satisfaction (Abrams, 2002). The eating patterns and frequency vary from one ethnic group to another so is the consequences and risks involved with eating disorders.
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Culture is a variable that is neither discrete nor monumental when discussing the eating behavior of people. Individuals from minority groupings are generally disregarded in research, for instance, the adolescent girls for that matter. However, this does not mean they do not suffer. The truth is that they require more attention than being overlooked. There are health disparities in eating pathologies that ought to be addressed because it is equally important to other factors affecting societies (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). These disparities concerning health cannot be solved unless they are implicit and detected. Detecting the health disparities involves determining the vulnerable group and knowing the measure of the disparity. Comprehending the health disparities constitute various social, biological and psychological examination undertakings.
Health disparities have been well recognized for example disparities in obesity, which occur in children and adolescents from minority groups particularly those from lesser status based on socioeconomic grounds (Lask B, 2005). However, less attention has been paid to racial and ethnic disparities as far as eating pathology is concerned with adolescents and children. Both eating disorders and obesity arise from the environmental factors and genetics interplay. Consequently, have links to cultural and societal influences, and eating behaviors are involved. It is essential therefore to consider in the comprehending eating disorders these influences the role they play.
Culture influence on eating disorders
It is essential to note that culture plays a great influence on eating behaviors and eating disorders of individuals in the adolescent stage, particularly girls. Caribbean Black Americans and African Americans have differences in the commonness of all types of eating disorders. The culture variables that contain influences that are both protective and risk on eating disorders are not dogged yet. Conversely, hypothesized variables include the impact of popular culture, acculturation, familial factors, and the connection between ethnic grouping-specific cultural beliefs and values with these variables. This article will discuss the influence of popular culture as variable influencing eating disorders in adolescent girls (Abrams, 2002).
Although the mass media and familial factors, popular culture play a critical role in eating behaviors among the adolescent girls. These girls and children are exposed to the messages that to have a great body image, you must be thin and not fat. On the contrary, they are fed with junk foods that are highly rich in calories, television and computer games that deter them from playing physical games that can otherwise keep them fit. The connection between the environmental factors that amplify the chances of being obese and the contradicting messages on being fat is bad and thin is good conspire to make eating disorders a significant problem among the adolescent girls. Therefore, the problematic eating behaviors and body dissatisfaction in the adolescent age of young girls tend to increase significantly. Consequently, clinical eating disorders, for example, anorexia nervosa, and dieting, intense weight loss habits become the order of the day (Lask B, 2005). Girls in the contemporary world are extremely obsessed with weight phobia and the desire to be thin. There are cultures for example African culture who believe that a perfect body of a woman should be fleshy and that is what is attractive to men of their culture. This is contradicted by the western culture where the notion of thinness is considered to be perfect body image of a woman. However, there is a recognizable change in African American ethnic group on the weight issue. It has been idealized through mass media how great you look if you have a body image of the flappers of the 1920s. Considering this notion of being fashionable and fancy to the adolescents has really influenced eating habits and so resulting in the eating disorders (Abrams, 2002).
Biological, physiological and psychological developments have been greatly affected by the tremendous change in eating behaviors. Biological development begins during puberty age through to adolescents. These developments greatly are effected and affected by the nutrient needs and nutritional value a body gets (Lask B, 2005). Adolescents undergo spectacular growth both physically and mentally, and this can only be achieved if good nutrition is provided which contain proteins, vitamins, and minerals for energy provision. However, with the idealization of the urge to be thin in girls pose a great risk to these developments. Eating disorders do interfere with the physical and biological developments of the adolescents. Psychological development is also in jeopardy if eating disorders are prevalence during adolescence (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).
Biological, psychological and physical development in adolescent girls is equally important as the way they want their bodies to look. They would rather have bad body images than have clinical disorders that affect their growth and development. Alternatively, they can change their lifestyles and avoid eating disorders while they keep their perfect body images as perceived by the cultural and societal beliefs.
References
Abrams, L. S.-S. (2002). Sociocultural variations in the body image perception of urban females. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 443-451.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Lask B, G. I. (2005). Functional neuroimaging in early-onset aneroxia nervosa . International disorders, 49-51. Journal of eating
