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Facets of acculturation and their diverse relations to body shape concern in Fiji
Anne E Becker1, Kristen Fay, Stephen E Gilman
1Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. abecker@partners.org
Objective:
The present study examines the relation between acculturation and body shape concern in Fiji--a society undergoing rapid social change.
Method:
Data were from two cohorts of ethnic Fijian girls and women collected in 1998 (n = 115). A factor analysis was performed to identify dimensions of acculturation. The association of these with body shape concern was examined with linear regression.
Results:
Three dimensions of acculturation were identified. Multiple linear regression models demonstrated that each of these dimensions of acculturation had a unique relation to body shape concern. The adjusted R(2) for the fully adjusted model relating acculturation to body concern was 0.63, indicating a substantial degree of shared variation between measures of body shape concern and measures of acculturation.
Conclusion:
Acculturation may have a strong impact on body shape concern in Fiji. However, acculturation is a multidimensional construct and does not likely have a monolithic relation to body shape concern.
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