292095
African American male HBCU students more likely perceive overweight and obese pulver body images as ‘ ideal' and ‘healthy'
Monday, November 4, 2013
: 9:10 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Sherine Brown, PhD,
Nutritional Sciences, School of Community Health and Policy, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD
African-Americans (AA) who are disproportionately overweight and obese may also perceive unhealthy body images as healthy thereby increasing their risk for the early onset of disease and disability. This study shows difference in perception of Pulver Body Image by gender among African American HBCU students. Freshman students (n=367) completed a questionnaire that collected data on general demographics and perceptions of body shape when viewing the Pulvers Body Image Scale (PBIS). Students were asked to visually select the body image that best represented their current', ideal', and a healthy' body shape. Without initially viewing the PBIS, most students described their weight as normal (61%). However, after viewing the PBIS to identify the body image that best represented their body shape there were no differences by gender in the AA students to select the normal', over weight' and obese' body shape as their current body shape. Significantly more AA females selected the normal body image as their ideal' (61.8%) and healthy' (58.3%) body shape compared to males (p<0.001). By contrast, significantly more AA males selected the overweight body image as their ideal' (44.2%) and healthy' (39.3%) body shape (p<0.001). Similarly, significantly more AA males selected the obese body image as their ideal' (39.3%) and healthy' (31.9%) body shape (p<0.001). HBCU freshmen males students perceive a larger body image as healthy' and ideal' more often than female students in this population. Therefore, early and intensive intervention within this population is critical to curbing the national obesity epidemic.
Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Epidemiology
Public health or related education
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Identify difference in perception of body image between male and female African American HBCU students
Keyword(s): Obesity, Gender
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I served as a member of the research team for the project I am presenting and conducted the data review, data analysis and data interpretation. I have specific training and experience in the statistical methods used to analyze the data from this investigation and extensive training in public health and nutrition research. Other research includes diet & lifestyle and its relationship to preventing chronic illness such as obesity, health disparities, food technology and policy.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
