Some correlates of vegetarianism in anorexia nervosa

✍ Scribed by Kadambari, Rao ;Cowers, Simon ;Crisp, Arthur

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 311 KB
• Volume: 5
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/1098-108x(198603)5:3<539::aid-eat2260050310>3.0.co;2-o

✦ Synopsis

Cases of 180 anorectics were studied by means of a retrospective analysis of hospital notes. Of these 98 were "nonvegetarian" and 82 were "vegetarian." The two groups were examined for differences in clinical and social backgrounds. Vegetarian anorectics were more likely to be abstainers, hyperactive, vegans, and to consume large quantities of noncalorific fluid and also showed greater fear of "fatness" than nonvegetarian anorectics. The mothers of vegetarian anorectics were more likely to be weight conscious and the fathers fearful of illness than their counterparts. As families they were also significantly more overprotective and enmeshed. Vegetarianism was especially a feature of anorectics of Asian origin.

Within some religions avoidance of meat eating is seen as a means of mastery over body and mind and the practice of vegetarianism (the exclusion from the diet of food obtained by killing animals) pervades many cultures and is probably on the increase at present in Western Europe. Thus, for instance, there has been a substantial increase in recent times in the numbers and prosperity of health food stores, in the promotion of "nature" diets and "save the animal" movements.

Vegetarianism can be one facet of the ascetic stance and Crisp (1980')