Analysis of bulimic symptomatology across age and geographic locations

The purpose of this study was two-fold: a) to investigate the relationship between age and bulimic symptoms among a sample of women with a broad age range; and b) to investigate the relationship between geographic location within the United States and bulimic symptoms. The sample consisted of 1807 female health professionals from six different states (NC, VA, OH, LA, TN, and MO). Analyses revealed that there were no differences between the age groups on bulimic symptoms. There were differences across geographic locations on bulimic symptoms, such that the South Atlantic (NC, VA) states reported the most bulimic symptoms. Findings suggest that age may not serve as a protective factor against bulimic symptoms as some previous studies have suggested. These findings also provide further evidence on the influence of environment on bulimic symptoms among a sample of women.