Racial/ethnic differences in Body Mass Index: the roles of beliefs about thinness and dietary restriction.
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.
Vaughan
Christine A
CA
Center for Developmental Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8115, USA. Christine.Vaughan@unc.edu
Sacco
William P
WP
Beckstead
Jason W
JW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003380:Courtship; D003469:Culture; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013851:Thinness / Q000208:ethnology*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*; D001741:Black or African American