Eating disorder and conception of fear of fatness among non-Western adolescent population: experience from Oman

Debates are continuing on whether a protean maladjustment disorder such as anorexia nervosa has similar manifestations in different cultures and whether eating pathology constitutes a culture-bound or culture-reactive phenomenon. This paper aims to explore how the view that a prototypical conception of fear of fatness as an essential factor for identifying anorexia nervosa is expressed in some non-western populations. Oman, a rapidly developing country, has a mix of populations that provide a favorable setting for studying the cross-cultural differences in health behavior. The present study suggests that performance of non-western adolescent (Omani, Indian) on assessment measures eliciting fear of fatness or ‘fat phobia’ was significantly different from their Euro-American counterparts. However, no significant differences emerged as a function of other indexes of eating pathology such as EAT-26 and anthropomorphic variables. This paper speculates on cultural patterning that might protect non-western adolescence from developing isomorphic attitudes and behaviors leading to body image dissatisfaction.