Cross-Cultural Considerations in Latin American Boys and Men

Men in Latin America have been an understudied population in the eating disorder (ED) field; however, over the last decades, an increasing interest has led to a better recognition and understanding of this population. Studies across Latin America have identified disordered eating behaviors in between 0.4% and 6.6% of adolescent boys and young adult men. Also, two-stage epidemiological studies have identified an ED prevalence of 1.9–2.9%, with all cases classified as eating disorders not otherwise specified. In addition, weightlifters and athletes have been the most studied population across men in Latin American countries. Importantly, a broad variety of ED, muscle dysmorphia (MD), and male body dissatisfaction measures have been developed and/or validated across Latin American populations. However, cross-cultural evidence and studies in male clinical populations are still limited. Overall findings suggest that features of ED among Latin American men are similar to those observed in developed countries.