OBJECTIVE: Despite research suggesting increasing prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) among Latinx undergraduate students, little is known about ED risk among undocumented students. This study examined whether legal immigration status predicted ED risk in Latinx undergraduate students born outside the U.S. PARTICIPANTS: A case-control design using secondary data from a nationwide U.S. sample matched 179 undocumented students with 179 documented students on age, gender, and financial stress. METHODS: Participants completed the SCOFF questionnaire to assess ED risk. A chi-square analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between legal status and ED risk. RESULTS: = .14. CONCLUSIONS: Legal immigration status alone may not predict ED risk in Latinx immigrant students. These findings challenge assumptions of EDs as disorders of affluence and emphasize the need for culturally sensitive measures.
Garcia et al. (Tue,) studied this question.