PURPOSE: This study examined body image perception among participants of the Healthy Black Family Project (HBFP) through the Center for Minority Health. As part of this examination, body image perception of the participants social networks, differences between ethnicities, and the association of disease risk with body image perception were studied.
METHODS: The participants perceptions of body image were assessed using responses in words as well as pictures. Body image satisfaction was assessed by comparing current and ideal bodies selected from a pictorial scale. Chi-square analysis and Fishers Exact tests were performed to assess the accuracy of the participants perceptions of body image in comparison to measured BMI. Body image perceptions of the social networks were compared with the participants perceived and measured BMI using ANOVA and linear regression analysis. Comparisons between ethnicities were also assessed using Fishers Exact test and 95% confidence intervals. Risk perception between weight categories was assessed using ANOVA and Fishers Exact tests.
RESULTS: This analysis revealed body image perceptions underestimated measured BMIs. Consistent with other published studies, females wished to lose weight, while males wished to remain the same or gain weight. Obese participants were more accurate in assessing their weight category using the pictorial scale, while normal weight participants were more accurate in words. The majority of social networks were perceived as obese and participants of both genders associated with female family members of similar size. HBFP participants perceived larger bodies as obese than a previously studied Caucasian population and female participants chose larger bodies as ideal. Disease risks were not consistently associated with body image perceptions.
CONCLUSIONS: In this population, significant differences in body image perception exist. Accuracy of body image differs between weight categories and body image satisfaction differs between genders. In contrast to Caucasian populations, different perceptions of obesity exist and larger female bodies are perceived as ideal.
PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE: Programs involving disease prevention and weight management should involve components of body image perception education. In order for these education programs to be more effective, they should include factors that encompass differences in ethnicity, gender, and weight class.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-04072009-182612 |
| Date | 29 June 2009 |
| Creators | Amburgey, Kimberly |
| Contributors | Robin E. Grubs, PhD, CGC, Stephen B. Thomas, PhD, Elizabeth Gettig, MS, CGC, Angela F. Ford, PhD, Candace Kammerer, PhD |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-04072009-182612/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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