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Relative body weight and self-esteem among African Americans in four nationally representative samples
M S Faith1, E Manibay, M Kravitz
1Obesity Research Center, St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10025, USA.
Obesity Research
|December 9, 1998
Summary
Elevated relative body weight (RBW) is not linked to lower self-esteem in African Americans. This study found no significant association between body weight and self-concept in this population.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Obesity is a growing concern in the United States, particularly among African American women.
- There is a lack of research on the psychological factors associated with obesity in the African American community.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between relative body weight (RBW) and self-esteem.
- To analyze this association in four large, nationally representative samples of African American individuals.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from four distinct national studies: The Adolescent Health Care Evaluation Study, The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, The High School and Beyond, and The National Survey of Black Americans.
- Employed regression analyses to examine the association between RBW and self-esteem, controlling for age and sex.
Main Results:
- No significant association between RBW and self-esteem was found in three of the four datasets.
- The one dataset showing a significant effect indicated a small magnitude.
- RBW and its interaction with age and sex explained less than 2% of the variance in self-esteem across all samples.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest that higher relative body weight does not, on average, correlate with lower general self-concept among African American individuals.
- This research contributes to understanding the psychological correlates of obesity in a specific demographic group.