Prevalence and Correlates of Eating Disorders among Asian Americans: Results from the National Latino and Asian American Study Ethel G. Nicdao, PhD* Seunghye Hong, MA David T. Takeuchi, PhD ABSTRACT Objective: Our study examines lifetime and 12-month prevalence estimates of eating disorders in Asian American men and women. We also report on the asso- ciation between social factors and eating disorders, BMI categories, treatment, and impairment. Method: We use data from the National Latino and Asian American Study, a nationally representative survey of the U.S. household population of Lat- ino and Asian Americans. Our present study is based on data from the sample of Asian Americans (N 5 2,095). Results: Overall, Asian Americans pres- ent with low prevalence for eating disor- ders. Only lifetime prevalence for binge eating disorder (BED) is significantly higher for Asian women compared to Asian men. Our results show that age is strongly associated with BED and any binge eating. High current BMI of 30– 39.9 and 40 is strongly associated with BED and any binge eating. Treatment uti- lization is low, and respondents reported some role impairment. Conclusion: Our findings show that de- spite low prevalence estimates, eating disorders are present among Asian Amer- ican men and women. Our data suggest that researchers consider more flexibility in defining and classifying eating disor- ders, to better detect and measure the prevalence of eating disorders among Asian Americans. V V C 2007 by Wiley Peri- odicals, Inc. Keywords: Asian Americans; eating disorders; NLAAS (National Latino and Asian American Study) (Int J Eat Disord 2007; 40:S22–S26) Introduction While empirical studies have typically focused on White, upper-middle class women, some recent studies provide evidence that eating disorders also exist among ethnic minority populations. 1–3 Preva- lence estimates of eating disorders among ethnic minorities are inconsistent. Some studies show lower levels of eating disorders for Asian Americans compared to Whites, whereas other studies show higher levels of eating disorders among Asian American women. 4 Several studies found few or no differences in prevalence of eating disorders among Hispanic, Asian, Black, American Indian, and White women. 1,5 Conflicting results on prevalence may be due to sociocultural factors that contribute to the etiology of eating disorders. 1 Despite these existing studies, research on eating disorders among Asian American populations remains scant. In particular, explanations for between-group differences on eating disorder symptoms and disordered eating behavior require further examination. This article aims to contribute to the eating disorders literature by providing epi- demiological data on prevalence and correlates of eating disorders among Asian American adults. Using data from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), we determine if eating disorders are common among Asian Americans by comparing lifetime and 12-month prevalence of eating disorders between men and women. We also examine the association between social factors and eating disorders, BMI categories, treatment, and impairment. Accepted 13 July 2007 School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington *Correspondence to: Ethel G. Nicdao, School of Social Work, Uni- versity of Washington, Seattle, WA. E-mail: etheln@u.washington.edu Supported by U01 MH62209 and U01 MH62207 from National Institute of Mental Health and by the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Dr. Nicdao supported by T32 MH067555 from National Institute of Mental Health and by University of Michigan, NIMH Racial, Eth- nic, and Cultural Disparities in Mental Health Training Program. Published online 19 September 2007 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/eat.20450 V V C 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. S22 International Journal of Eating Disorders 40 S22–S26 2007—DOI 10.1002/eat EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES