A Comparison of Food and Alcohol Disturbance (FAD) in Sorority and Non-Sorority Women

Objective: College students who are members of groups in which appearance and alcohol norms are highly salient may be at particular risk for engaging in food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) behaviors. This study compared demographically-matched sorority- and non-sorority members on FAD and associated behaviors. Participants: College women who self-identified as being in a sorority (n = 95) were matched with non-sorority peers (n = 95) on age, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, and race. Methods: Participants completed an online survey assessing alcohol use, eating disorder symptoms, appearance-related peer pressure, FAD behaviors, and demographic information. Mann-Whitney "U" tests and generalized linear models tested hypotheses. Results: Sorority members reported more alcohol use and FAD behaviors; however, after controlling for year in school, alcohol use, and eating disorder symptoms, Greek status no longer predicted FAD behaviors. Conclusions: Differences in FAD behaviors across sorority- and non-sorority women were due to differences in alcohol consumption.