Racial/Ethnic Differences in Body Mass Index: The Roles of Beliefs About Thinness and Dietary Restriction
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-2008
Keywords
Racial/ethnic differences, Thin-ideal internalization, Body mass, Dietary restriction
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2008.02.004
Abstract
The greater BMI of African American relative to Caucasian women is implicated in racial/ethnic disparities in health outcomes. The principal aim of the current study was to evaluate a theoretical account of racial/ethnic differences in BMI. Thin-ideal internalization, the perceived romantic appeal of thinness, dietary restriction, weight, and height were assessed via self-report measures on a sample of female undergraduates of African American (n = 140) and Caucasian (n = 676) race/ethnicity. Using structural equation modeling, support was obtained for the primary hypothesis that racial/ethnic differences in BMI are explained by Caucasian women's greater thin-ideal internalization and perceived romantic appeal of thinness, thereby resulting in greater levels of dietary restriction. Current findings illustrate the potential for racial/ethnic differences in sociocultural standards of appearance to influence racial/ethnic disparities in physical health, of which BMI is a marker, via effects on weight control behavior.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Body Image, v. 5, issue 3, p. 291-298
Scholar Commons Citation
Vaughan, Christine A.; Sacco, William P.; and Beckstead, Jason W., "Racial/Ethnic Differences in Body Mass Index: The Roles of Beliefs About Thinness and Dietary Restriction" (2008). Psychology Faculty Publications. 904.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/psy_facpub/904
