Advisor(s)
Fred Biasini
Committee Member(s)
Kevin Fontaine
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2014
Abstract
Body dissatisfaction is among many psychological concerns related to obesity, particularly among pre-adolescent females. Though obesity prevalence estimates are higher among African American (AA) adolescent females, the limited data available suggests that they are less susceptible to weight-related body dissatisfaction than Caucasians. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the relationship between BMI and body dissatisfaction and the relationship between BMI and self-esteem in obese AA and Caucasian girls, aged 7-11 years, and determine if these relationships are moderated by race. Furthermore, an examination of how total body fat and body fat distribution before and after a dietary intervention influence body dissatisfaction and self-esteem was conducted. The intervention consisted of two phases: a 6-week euclaoric and a 12-week hypocaloric phase, in which all food was provided. The Contour Drawing Rating Scale assessed body dissatisfaction and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale evaluated global self-esteem. Body fat was assessed by DXA. Limiting analyses to participants with complete data sets, 46 participants were included at baseline, 25 at 6-weeks, and 23 at 18-weeks. BMI, total body fat, trunk fat, gynoid fat, body dissatisfaction, and self-esteem improved at various time-points over the course of the study (p<0.03). Results did not show a significant moderating effect of race on the relationships between BMI, body dissatisfaction, and self-esteem. Findings indicated that body dissatisfaction was positively associated with BMI (p=0.02), though this association varied over the course of the study. Further, for AA girls, the trunk-to-gynoid fat ratio was negatively associated with self-esteem (p=0.005). Findings suggest that a structured dietary intervention in a free-living setting may be an effective strategy to improve both the physiological and psychological in AA and Caucasian pre-pubertal girls.
ProQuest Publication Number
ISBN
978-1-321-42794-3
Recommended Citation
Lorch, Danielle Marie, "Differences In How Bmi And Body Fat Distribution Influence Body Dissatisfaction And Self-Esteem In Caucasian And African American Early Pubertal Girls" (2014). All ETDs from UAB. 2336.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/2336
Comments
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