Acculturation, internalization of Western appearance norms, and the development of eating disorders among college students in rural Hawai'i

Research has shown that exposure to media images of the thin-ideal has increased eating pathology in individuals both in Western cultures as well as non-Western cultures. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between acculturation and eating disorders in college students. Participants totaled 143 and all participants were psychology students at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. The results of the study provide further support for the sociocultural model of eating disorders. Internalization of Western appearance norms, particularly the thin ideal, was positively associated with eating pathology as measured by the Eating Attitudes Test. Awareness and internalization of Western appearance norms explained eating disordered attitudes and symptoms after controlling for effects of general depression and acculturation. There was no significant relationship found between acculturation and the development of eating disorders.