Relationships Between Weight and Body Dissatisfaction, Body Esteem, and Teasing in African American Girls
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-1-2009
Description
This study assessed the relation between weight and weight-related factors (i.e., body dissatisfaction, body esteem, teasing frequency, and the effects of teasing) in a community sample of prepubescent African American girls. African American girls (N = 97) in Grades 3 to 5 completed the McKnight Risk Factor Survey-Third Edition and had their heights and weights taken to calculate body mass index (BMI). Participants were from two public elementary schools with a predominantly African American student population in a Southern metropolitan city of the United States. Increased weight was associated with higher levels of body dissatisfaction and a greater frequency of weight teasing by peers. Weight was not associated with body esteem. These relationships between weight and related factors may be important for understanding how weight affects psychosocial functioning in a community sample of African American girls.
Citation Information
Tyler, Chermaine; Johnston, Craig A.; Dalton, William T.; and Foreyt, John P.. 2009. Relationships Between Weight and Body Dissatisfaction, Body Esteem, and Teasing in African American Girls. Journal of Black Psychology. Vol.35(1). 125-132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798408323388 ISSN: 0095-7984