Smoking as subculture? Influence on Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women's attitudes toward smoking and obesity.
Cultural stereotypes might help explain why smoking is less prevalent among Hispanic than non-Hispanic White women, whereas obesity is more prevalent. Hispanic (n = 130) and non-Hispanic White (n = 114) women rated their thoughts and feelings regarding a female smoker and an overweight woman. Ethnicity did not influence evaluations, but attitudes toward smokers were more positive among more acculturated Hispanic women, F(1, 66) = 9.9, p < .01. Less acculturated women evaluated an overweight woman more positively than a smoker, F(1, 28) = 5.65, p < .05; more acculturated women did the opposite, F( 1, 36) = 5.92, p < .05. Smokers evaluated smokers more positively than overweight women, F(1, 86) = 40.8, p < .01; nonsmokers did the opposite, F(l, 138) = 7.7, p < .01. Personal body weight did not influence evaluations. Acculturation and smoking status appear to have a greater influence than ethnicity or weight status on women's attitudes toward smoking and weight.
Johnsen
Lisa
L
Department of Psychology, Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School and University of Chicago, Illinois 60607, USA.
MacKirnan
David
D
Spring
Bonnie
B
Pingitore
Regina
R
Sommerfeld
Beth Kaplan
BK
D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D002245:Carbon Dioxide