Comparative study of eating-related attitudes and psychological traits between Israeli-Arab and -Jewish schoolgirls.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
The aims of the study were to examine weight concerns, dieting and eating behaviours in a group of Israeli-Arab schoolgirls as compared with Israeli-Jewish schoolgirls, as well as to investigate the reliability of the Arabic (Palestinian) version of the eating disorder inventory-2 (EDI-2).

METHOD:
The sample consisted of 2548 Israeli schoolgirls, including 1885 Jewish and 663 Arab adolescents ranging in age from 12 to 18. The study was conducted in 1998-2003 from urban and rural residential settings in the northern part of Israel. The (EDI-2) was the assessment tool used, yielding scores on 11 sub-scales.

RESULTS:
The Israeli-Arab schoolgirls scored significantly higher than the Israeli-Jewish schoolgirls in most EDI-2 sub-scales. In addition, the sub-scale inter-item consistency of the translated Arabic (Palestinian version) of the EDI-2 was found to be reliable.

DISCUSSION:
The drive to be thin found among Israeli Arab schoolgirls is not reflected in their small number of ED clinic referrals. These discrepancies are discussed in light of the socio-cultural changes currently taking place in the Israeli Arab population due to the influence of Western-oriented life in Israel.

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Author information

Author/s: Latzer, Yael (Y); Tzischinsky, Orna (O); Geraisy, Nabil (N);

Affiliation: Eating Disorders Clinic, Psychiatric Division, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. latzer(-atsign-)zahav.net.il

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Journal of adolescence (J Adolesc), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Aug; vol 30 (issue 4) : pp 627-37

Dates: Created 2007/07/10; Completed 2007/10/03;

PMID: 16916541, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Arabs
Attitude to Health
Child
Eating Disorders - psychology

Feeding Behavior - psychology
Female
Humans
Israel
Questionnaires

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