Body image and weight related behaviors: The role of ethnicity and native-born status

Body image influences dietary and weight management practices. As such, a distorted body image has the potential to contribute to the problem of overweight and obesity. Body image is often influenced by cultural norms, which may explain, at least in part, some of the racial and ethnic disparities found in obesity trends. Among African-Americans adolescents, for example, the prevalence of obesity is 50% greater than that of Caucasians (Perry, Rosenblatt, and Wang, 2004); however, African-American adolescents, as compared to adolescents of other races, are not as likely to regard themselves overweight (Brener, Eaton, Lowry, and McManus, 2004) or have body dissatisfaction (White & Grilo, 2005). Among adolescents who are non-native born or of non-native born parents, the relationship between cultural identity, cultural expectations, and body image is not well understood. Selected portions of the YRBS was administered to a census of students attending an ethnically-diverse high school in South Central Kentucky (N=1011). Data were analyzed to assess the role of ethnicity and native-born status on accuracy of assessing weight-status (body image), dietary practices, and weight management behaviors. Descriptive and inferential results from this study will be discussed along with implications for practice within schools.