Open AccessAn assessment of measures of body image, body attitude, acculturation, and weight status among Mexican American women
Author(s) -
Petti Yvette M.,
Cowell Julia M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of the american academy of nurse practitioners
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1745-7599
pISSN - 1041-2972
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-7599.2010.00581.x
Subject(s) - body mass index , overweight , acculturation , medicine , waist , perception , gerontology , demography , clinical psychology , physical therapy , psychology , ethnic group , pathology , sociology , anthropology , neuroscience
Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive study was to establish the validity and reliability of the measurement of body image and body attitudes among Mexican American women. Data sources: Completed measures of height, weight, waist circumference, body mass index, acculturation, body image, and body attitude of 35 U.S.‐born Mexican American women between the ages of 18 and 65 years of age. Also included were repeated measures of body image and body attitude and verbatim face‐to‐face interviews with 13 study participants. Conclusions: Most study participants were overweight; however, body image discrepancy (difference between perceived actual and ideal body image) did not increase as anticipated and was negatively related to body mass index; suggesting those participants' perceptions of ideal body image increased with increasing body size and was reliable. Body attitude subscale scores had varying relationships to weight status. Implications for practice: Further study is warranted examining why an acceptance of a greater body image occurs, potentially leading to a greater understanding of the influences of body image integration on health behaviors. Clinicians working with Mexican American women should consider weight reduction interventions that are based on an individual assessment of the perceptions of body image and body attitudes.