Body Dissatisfaction in Racial/Ethnic Minority Women over 50 (2012)

Undergraduate: Unber Ahmad

Faculty Advisor: Cynthia Bulik
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Body dissatisfaction is a prevailing issue for women, but little is known about how it manifests in women over 50 of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. Weight change (difference between highest and lowest adult weight in pounds), age difference at weight extremes (number of years between highest and lowest adult weight), weight dissatisfaction (the discrepancy between current and ideal body weight in pounds), and body image dissatisfaction (the discrepancy between current and ideal body shape) were examined in racial/ethnic minority women over the age of 50. Participants (N =1,790) included European American (n = 1,650), African American (n =84), and Hispanic (n = 56) women. Self-report data were analyzed to explore racial/ethnic group differences. Hispanic and African American women desired the smallest and largest body weights, respectively. Weight dissatisfaction, body image dissatisfaction, and ideal body shape did not vary across the racial/ethnic groups indicating that women of all three racial/ethnic groups provided similar responses for current and ideal body. Weight change and age difference at weight extremes were significantly associated with weight and body image dissatisfaction. There was a significant interaction between racial/ethnic group and weight change with weight dissatisfaction. Together these results contribute to the existing but inconsistent literature on body dissatisfaction in older women and racial/ethnic minority groups.