Dimensions[ edit ] A woman's dimensions are often expressed by the circumference around the three inflection points.
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract Introduction The growing epidemic of childhood obesity has led to an increasing focus on strategies for prevention.
However, little is known about attitudes and perceptions toward weight, diet, and physical activity among American youth, and particularly among young African American females.
This pilot study sought to qualitatively explore cultural attitudes and perceptions toward body image, food, and physical activity among a sample of overweight African American girls. Methods We recruited 12 overweight girls, aged 12 to 18 years, from a hospital-based pediatric diabetes screening and prevention program.
Five semistructured group interviews were conducted to explore attitudes on weight, diet, and physical activity.
Sessions averaged 1 hour and were conducted by trained interviewers. Data were transcribed and evaluated for content and relevant themes. Results The following themes emerged: Conclusion In this sample of girls, the findings imply that perceptions of weight and healthy lifestyle behaviors are largely determined by environmental and personal influences.
These factors should be considered in the development of healthy-weight interventions for African American girls. Introduction Childhood overweight has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. For the years throughAfrican American females aged 12 to 19 years had the highest prevalence of overweight Overweight is defined as body mass index greater than 95th percentile for age.
Poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle are key determinants of excess weight among all U. Compared with young white females, young African American females are less likely to eat the recommended daily amount of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and are more likely to consume high amounts of fat and sodium 23.
They also are less likely to be physically active and more likely to watch television, and to watch television while eating 45. Moreover, African American females prefer and tolerate heavier body weight and are more satisfied with their body image and larger body size 67.
Consequently, they maintain greater within-group social acceptance of heavier body weight and perceive less social pressure to lose weight 8 - 11resulting in infrequent pursuit of long-term weight management strategies 12 These findings are of concern because excess weight in childhood is associated with a dramatically increased risk of adult obesity and obesity-related conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease 14 - Furthermore, excess weight in adolescence is associated with poorer social and economic outcomes in adulthood 17 In light of these findings, national health agendas target lifestyle modification as a first-line prevention strategy for overweight and its complications and encourage further understanding of barriers to lifestyle modification among minority populations Thomas 20 posits that lifestyle behaviors of African American females are responses to historical, social, and cultural forces affecting their personal health beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions.
Though unhealthy diet and physical inactivity are clearly determinants of excess weight in this group, few data exist on the psychosocial factors beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions that promote these behaviors and the cultural contexts within which they operate Culture, defined as the unique shared values, beliefs, and practices of a group, can influence the behaviors of individuals by affecting their thoughts, feelings, acceptance, and adoption of health education messages 22 For example, to reduce the prevalence of excess weight, current health strategies promote lower fat intake.
However, among African American populations, especially in the southeastern United States, consumption of foods high in fat is a documented dietary and cultural practice Nationally, compared with young white females, young African American females consume more calories from fat and report that social influences have a greater impact on their dietary practices However, knowledge of how the culturally based perceptions and attitudes of African American youths are related to excess weight 26 and specifically how caregivers influence dietary and physical activity choices of youths remains limited 26 Among a sample of African Americans, one study found that most caregivers of overweight children aged 5 to 10 years tolerated larger child body sizes and minimized their child's health risk Another study reported that African American girls perceive female caregivers as important role models for body size ideals 28indicating the importance of assessing caregivers' influence on weight-related attitudes and behaviors of youths.
Further investigation of these social and environmental influences may help explain why this population is at disproportionate risk for obesity and obesity-related conditions and may lead to innovative strategies for encouraging the adoption of healthy lifestyle changes.
This pilot study sought to qualitatively examine perceptions, attitudes, and cultural experiences relative to weight and weight-related factors among a sample of overweight African American girls.
Methods Sample This predominantly low-income sample consisted of mother-daughter dyads recruited from a large urban hospital diabetes prevention program in North Carolina during October through July Girls were eligible if they were screened as overweight and were part of the hospital diabetes prevention program but had not been diagnosed with diabetes, prediabetes, or metabolic syndrome.
To assess the perceptions of both mothers of overweight girls and girls themselves, dyads were recruited and interviewed concurrently but separately. Of the 49 eligible mother-daughter dyads, we successfully recruited 30, and 12 completed the study.Mar 15, · Another study reported that African American girls perceive female caregivers as important role models for body size ideals, indicating the importance of assessing caregivers' influence on weight-related attitudes and behaviors of youths.
The Ideal Body Image for Women. If we consider society’s idea of the perfect body image for women based on the average fashion model, we would think that the perfect woman was about 5’10” and weighed only pounds.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the average American man is about 5’9” and weighs about The ideal female body has about a % body fat, and men in about the % range with a solid muscle tone in order to keep the body from looking flabby.
How that will correspond in measurements may not be something you can control and not worth obsessing over. The women summed up by saying, Self is a better influence on women because of the number of ads and feature articles that depicted women as being strong and lean, rather than bony and skinny as .
with Black culture was related to a thicker body ideal, but exposure to Black cultural cues (relative to American cultural cues) was related to a thinner body ideal. Study 2 used food as a cultural cue and examined effects of culture on an affective component of body image among Asian American women.
If we consider society’s idea of the perfect body image for women based on the average fashion model, we would think that the perfect woman was about 5’10” and weighed only pounds.
However, the National Center for Health Statistics reports that the average American woman is only about 5’4” and weighs about pounds.