title: Body image as a mediator of the relationship between body mass index and weight-related quality of life in black women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Body image (BI) may be important in understanding weight-related attitudes and behaviors in black women. Specifically, body dissatisfaction may mediate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and weight-related quality of life (QOL) in black women. We examined the relationship between BMI and weight-related QOL in black women and tested for mediation by body dissatisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample included 149 black women recruited from Birmingham, Alabama, for a one-time clinic visit. BIs were self-reported using the Pulvers figure rating scale. Body discrepancy (BD), a surrogate measure of body dissatisfaction, was calculated as perceived current image minus ideal image. QOL was self-reported using the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite (IWQOL-Lite). Baron and Kenny's test for mediation was conducted where BMI was the predictor, IWQOL-Lite score was the outcome, and BD was the mediator under investigation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age was 40.5 years, and mean BMI was 36.1 kg/m(2). The mean IWQOL-Lite score was 81.1±15.8 out of 100. Participants had a BD score of 2.3, indicating a desire to be two figure sizes smaller than their current perceived body size. Tests for mediation revealed that BD partially mediated the relationship between BMI and IWQOL-Lite scores in this sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BD was in the pathway of the association between BMI and IWQOL-Lite scores. BI dissatisfaction may contribute to explaining more about black women's weight-related QOL beyond actual BMI alone. Additional research is needed to better understand black women's perception of weight and subsequent weight-related behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education and Health Behavior, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. tlcox@uams.edu
authors.forename: Tiffany L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Jamy D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ard
authors.forename: T Mark
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Beasley
authors.forename: Jose R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Virginia J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Affuso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000407:Alabama; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires