title: The relationship between stress and weight-control behavior in African-American women.
abstract: Obesity is a problem for African-American women across all socioeconomic strata. Age-adjusted prevalence of overweight is 48.5% among African-American women compared with 21% among white women. An exploratory field was designed to examine selected psychosocial factors that influence the weight-control behavior of middle-income African-American women. A triangulation methodology was used in which both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. First, semistructured interviews were held with 36 African-American women between the ages of 25 and 75. Second, a Global Stress Scale was administered to measure perceived stress. Statistical analysis of the data revealed a positive correlation between body weight and stress in that women who were more overweight were experiencing more stress. Ethnographic analysis of the data showed that more than 50% of the women thought that stress negatively affected their weight-control behavior. Additionally, occupational stressors related to racism, sexism, and workload were major stressors for this group of women. Recognition of factors that influence weight-control health practices will enable health professionals to assist African-American women to manage their weight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago 60612, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Walcott-McQuigg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D016387:Women's Health