Attitudes Regarding Overweight, Exercise, and Health among Blacks (United States)

Bennett, Gary G.; Wolin, Kathleen Y.; Goodman, Melody S.; Samplin-Salgado, Michelle; Carter, Patricia; Dutton, Sarah; Hill, R.N Sonya; Emmons, Karen M.

doi:10.1007/s10552-005-0412-5

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Table 5 Pays attention to body weight v. body size preference and body weight perception: male and female migrants of non-Western origin residing in Amsterdam, 2003Amsterdam, -2004 prevalence in the general population may influence body size preference as speculated by Cash et al in their study of changes of body image among US college students (48) and by Bennett et al in a study of attitudes towards overweight in African Americans (49) . Finally, although the figural stimuli used in our study have not been validated for the Turkish and Moroccan populations, similar instruments have been widely used in various study populations which lends support to our choice of instrument (19,20,25,50) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body size preference and body weight perception among two migrant groups of non-Western origin

Nicolaou

Doak²,

Dam

et al. 2008

Public Health Nutr.

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Objectives: To evaluate body size preference, body weight perception and their relationship with actual weight in two migrant groups of non-Western origin, Turks and Moroccans; additionally, to study the association between body size preference and acculturation. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Subjects and methods: Males and females (18-30 years) were randomly selected from the population registry (n 451); participants, or at least one of their parents, were born in Turkey or Morocco. Body size preference was assessed using seven silhouette drawings and body weight perception was assessed by asking participants' opinion of own weight. Acculturation variables were generation status and two scale measures, cultural orientation and social contacts. Results: Participants showed preference for a thin body size. The discrepancy between ideal and current size was significant in women but not men (P , 0?001). Perceived current body size was correlated with BMI (Spearman's correlation coefficient 0?60, P , 0?001 (men) and 0?73, P , 0?001 (women)). Among overweight participants (BMI 5 25?0-29?9 kg/m 2 ), 63-82 % of men and 35 % of women perceived themselves as 'average'. Paying attention to own body weight was associated with a discrepancy between ideal and current size among women and with perceiving oneself as 'overweight' among men. Body size preference was not significantly associated with the three acculturation variables. Conclusion: We did not observe a preference for large body sizes in these two non-Western migrant groups. Similar to Western populations, most women wished to be thinner than they were. This was not the case among men, the majority of whom were also unaware of being overweight. KeywordsMigrants Turkish Moroccan Weight perception Obesity Overweight Body mass index Overweight and obesity are a major public health problem and are associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes, CVD and several types of cancer (1) . Their prevalence is reaching epidemic proportions, with an estimated 1 billion overweight and 300 million obese adults worldwide (2) . Among non-Western migrants, which represent an increasing proportion of many Western populations (3) , the prevalence of overweight and obesity is often higher than that of host populations (4)(5)(6) . In The Netherlands more than half of the general adult population is either overweight (51 % of males, 42 % of females) or obese (10 % of males, 12 % of females) (7) . In two of the main migrant groups of non-Western origin, Turks and Moroccans, it is estimated that 25-32 % of women and 37-44 % of men are overweight while 39-40 % of women and 13-16 % of men are obese (8,9)

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body size preference and body weight perception among two migrant groups of non-Western origin

Nicolaou

Doak²,

Dam

et al. 2008

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Generic messages of a patient's overweight (i.e. those that do not discuss the clinical thresholds of overweight in some detail, provide a description of the health risks associated with overweight and obesity), or non-comprehensive counseling may have little effect, particularly given that many Blacks do not recognize the health consequences of overweight and obesity [11] and may not be readily motivated by weight-related aesthetic concerns. However, as weight status misperception may also protect against eating and body image disorders (which are less common among Blacks), misperception correction strategies should be carefully considered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Blacks appear to have a greater social acceptance of overweight, less body weight dissatisfaction, and higher body weight ideals compared to Whites [2-8]. Additionally, emerging evidence in nationally-representative cohorts suggest that Blacks, and to a lesser extent Hispanics, may have lower rates of perceived overweight compared to Whites [9-11]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Inaccurate weight status perceptions have been posited to drive obesity-related behaviors, such as food consumption and intentional physical activity [2,9-11]. Importantly however, much of the data examining perceived weight status were collected prior to the secular shift towards greater U.S. public awareness of the obesity epidemic and its associated comorbidities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bennett

Wolin

2006

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

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BackgroundObesity is disproportionately prevalent among many racial/ethnic minority communities. The efficacy of weight control efforts in these groups may depend on individual's ability to accurately perceive their weight status. We examined whether racial/ethnic differences exist in weight status misperception among overweight adults.MethodsNationally-representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2002 were examined. Participants included overweight and obese adult men (n = 3115) and women (n = 3437). Weight status misperception was identified among respondents who self-reported being "about the right weight/underweight."ResultsBlacks (OR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.71, 2.54) were twice as likely and Hispanics (OR = 1.70, 95%CI: 1.33, 2.17) were 70-percent more likely than Whites to misperceive their weight, in models adjusted for age, education, income, marital status, self-reported health, and self-reported medical diagnosis of overweight. Black overweight (OR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.26, 3.26) and obese (OR = 3.56, 95% CI: 1.57, 8.11) women were considerably more likely to exhibit misperception compared to their White female counterparts. Odds of misperception were higher among overweight Black (OR = 2.20, 95%CI: 1.54, 3.15), Hispanic (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.30, 2.75), and obese Black men (OR = 2.84, 95% CI: 1.54, 5.22), compared to White men.ConclusionWeight status misperceptions among the overweight are more common among Blacks, and Hispanic men. The persistence of racial/ethnic differences after adjustment for medical diagnosis of overweight may suggest some resistance to physician weight counseling. Identifying strategies to correct weight status misperceptions status may be necessary to ensure the efficacy of clinical and public health obesity interventions conducted among these groups.

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“…9,10 Bennett and colleagues 13 have suggested that the low rates of perceived overweight among African Americans may be in part due to the tendency to base one's perception of weight on social comparisons rather than clinical guidelines. Lay people, particularly people of lower socioeconomic status and African Americans, have different perceptions of what a "satisfactory" body size looks like, and factors not relevant to medical definitions clearly influence such perceptions.…”

Section: Body Size Perceptions Among African Americans -Baruth Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%

Body Size Perceptions among Overweight and Obese African American Women

et al. 2015

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Objectives: Understanding body size perceptions and discrepancies among African American women may have implications for effective weight-loss interventions. The purpose of this study is to examine body size perceptions of economically disadvantaged, overweight and obese African American women.Design: Cross-sectional using baseline data from a randomized controlled trial.Setting: 18 census tracts in a central South Carolina city where ≥25% of residents were below poverty income.Participants: 147 economically disadvantaged, overweight and obese African American women.Main Outcome Measures: Using Pulvers’ figure rating scale, participants chose the figure: 1) closest to their current figure; 2) they would be satisfied with; and 3) with a body weight that would be a health problem for the average person. Mean body mass indices corresponding to each figure were compared with those in a large sample of White women.Results: Most participants wanted to be smaller (mean=2.6 figures smaller) than their current size. A majority (67%) chose the largest figure as representing a body size that could lead to a health problem, and most (60%) chose a current figure smaller than the figure they believed would be associated with health problems. The mean body mass index for women selecting any given figure as their current size was significantly larger (5.2-10.8 kg/m2 larger, P<.0001) than those established in the sample of White women.Conclusions: Although women desired a smaller body size, there nonetheless were misperceptions of body size and the associated health consequences. Body size misperceptions and/or satisfaction may pose barriers for effective weight-loss. Ethn Dis. 2015;25(4):391-398; doi:10.18865/ ed.25.4.391

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Attitudes Regarding Overweight, Exercise, and Health among Blacks (United States)

Cited by 26 publications

References 37 publications

Body size preference and body weight perception among two migrant groups of non-Western origin

Body size preference and body weight perception among two migrant groups of non-Western origin

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Body Size Perceptions among Overweight and Obese African American Women

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