Hungry for Healing: Addressing our Eating Disorders

Our unspoken struggles with eating disorders

Eating disorders have long been portrayed as issues affecting mostly young, White women, but research shows that Black women are also impacted—often in different ways and with less recognition. Studies reveal that while anorexia and bulimia are less common, binge eating disorder (BED) is a significant concern. For example, one national survey found BED to be the most common eating disorder among Black adults and adolescents, while anorexia was much rarer.

Despite these realities, Black women are less likely to receive treatment or even a diagnosis. In community samples, Black women report binge eating and other weight-control behaviors at rates comparable to or higher than White women, yet they face cultural stereotypes, stigma, and limited access to culturally competent care. This invisibility not only deepens the harm of the disorders themselves but also contributes to broader mental health disparities.

This episode will explore the prevalence of eating disorders among Black women, the cultural and structural factors that shape their experiences, and the urgent need for more inclusive approaches to treatment and recovery. We are talking with Dr. Rachel W. Goode, the Wallace Kuralt Distinguished Early Career Scholar Associate Professor at the School of Social Work and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Center for Eating Disorder Excellence, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Goode received her PhD, MPH, and MSW from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests include developing, implementing, and evaluating equitable and community-engaged interventions to treat obesity and eating disorders.

To learn more about Dr. Goode click here.

More Works by Dr. Goode:

• Living Free Lab

• Binge eating and binge‐eating disorder in Black women: A systematic review

• African Americans in standard behavioral treatment for obesity, 2001-2015: What have we learned?

• Socio-demographic, anthropometric, and psychosocial predictors of attrition across behavioral weight-loss trials

• The feasibility of a binge eating intervention in Black women with obesity

• A review of binge-eating disorder in Black women: treatment recommendations and implications for healthcare providers

• Prevalence and contributing factors to recurrent binge eating and obesity among Black adults with food insufficiency: findings from a cross-sectional study from a nationally representative sample

THIS EPISODE WILL BE AVAILABLE MONDAY MARCH 2, 2026.

Season 3 Episode 5

Running Time:  TBD minutes