title: Characteristics of black treatment seekers for eating disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to investigate differences in eating psychopathology between black and white treatment seekers at a specialty eating disorders (EDs) center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were drawn from 1680 individuals (n = 32 blacks; n = 1648 whites) who received treatment for an ED at a specialized center between 1979 and 1995, and had completed the EDs Questionnaire. The 32 black participants were matched to 153 white participants for ED diagnosis, year of presentation, and gender.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of the participants were diagnosed with eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). No black participants met criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN). Black participants reported more body dissatisfaction and a higher percentage fulfilled the obesity criterion compared to white participants. There were few differences in reported history of previous treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Black and white participants with EDs appeared similar in most respects, but AN was notably absent among black participants. In contrast to previous research, body dissatisfaction was surprisingly higher in black than in white participants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School, 2450 Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454-1495, USA.
authors.forename: Nisha H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Scott J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Crow
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thuras
authors.forename: Carol B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Peterson