Obesity Status and Body Satisfaction of African

American College Women

Delores C. S. James, PhD, RD, LD, FASHAAssociate Professor

Jennifer R. BondsUndergraduate Researcher

University of Florida Gainesville, FL

Obesity Prevalence Obesity has doubled among

American adults since 1980 African Americans have

higher rates of obesity and weight related diseases

African American women have a higher rate of overweight and obesity than African American men

Obesity PrevalenceIn 1999, the greatest increase was among young adults ages 18 to 29In 1997, one in five college students was overweight One third of African American college students were overweight in 1995African American female students were more likely to be overweight than their White and Hispanic counterparts

Goals To assess obesity status and

body satisfaction among African American college females

To examine differences in these variables between a predominately white university and a historically black college and university (HBCU)

Methods and ProceduresConvenient sample

402 undergraduate women of African descentTwo public universities in Florida

University of FloridaFlorida A&M University (HBCU)

Self-administered surveyIRB approval from both campusesRecruited from sororities, campus organizations, and various places frequented by studentsStudents received a cup as an incentive

School Characteristics UF

48,765 students 7.4% African American/Black

FAMU 13, 067 students 93.4% African American/Black

Both schools offer doctoral program

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) 135 typically small

undergraduate institutions Produce 40 percent of this

country’s Black graduates Most located in the South

DemographicsUF FAMU

Age 19.94±1.55 20.92±2.56**

GPA 3.14±0.43* 2.99±0.47

Hrs Worked 16.18±8.33 24.90±9.77**

Organizations 2.82±1.92** 1.89±1.92

*p <.05; **p <.0001

Academic Classification by School

9%5%

34%

18%

36% 36%

21%

41%

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

Fresh Soph Junior Seniors

UFFAMU

Housing 55% off-campus apartments with roommates 26% lived in the dorms 13% lived alone in off-campus apartments 6% lived at home with relatives. Students at the FAMU were significantly more

likely to live at home with relatives, live alone off campus, and live with roommates off campus, while students at the UF were significantly more likely to live in the dorms (p<.0001).

Housing by School

2%

39%

10%

49%

11% 13% 16%

60%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Home On Campus Apt (Alone) Apt (Others)

UFFAMU

Weight Status in College 51% gained weight 24% lost weight 26% stayed the same Students at FAMU were

(significantly) more likely to report weight gain in college (p<.01)

BMIBMI were calculated based on self-reported weight and height

Everyone 25.24±5.56 (overweight)FAMU 25.62±6.00 (overweight)UF 24.89±5.10 (normal, high end)

There was no significant difference between schools on BMI

BMI Classification of Respondents

BMI Class

56% Healthy 18.5-24.9 25% Overweight 25-29.9 17% Obese ≥30 2% Underweight <18.5

BMI by Academic Classification

26.03

24.19

24.97

26.20

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th Year

1st Year2nd Year3rd Year4th Year

BMI by HousingBMI varied significantly by Housing

At home 27.83±8.20 (overweight)**Apt, alone 27.719±6.56 (overweight)**Apt, others 24.62±4.76 (normal, high end)On campus 24.61±4.96 (normal, high end)

**p<.0001

BMI by Housing

27.83

24.61

27.71

24.62

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

At Home On Campus Apt (Alone) Apt (Others)

At HomeOn CampusApt (Alone)Apt (Others)

Weight PerceptionBMI varied significantly by weight perception Respondents described their weight based on five categories

UnderweightJust rightSlightly overweightVery overweightExtremely overweight

No significant difference by school

BMI by Weight Perception

19.3022.19

26.73

34.8338.92

05

1015202530354045

Under JustRight

SlightlyOver

VeryOver

ExtremeOver

UnderJust RightSlightly OverVery OverExtreme Over

BMI and Weight Satisfaction Respondents also were asked to rate their level of

satisfaction with their weight. 37% were satisfied/very satisfied with their

weight, 36% were somewhat satisfied, and 27% were dissatisfied/very dissatisfied with their weight.

Weight satisfaction did not vary by school (p>.05).

However, ANOVA revealed that BMI varied significantly by weight satisfaction (p<.0001).

Those who were dissatisfied were in the overweight or obese category and those who were satisfied were in the healthy range

BMI by Weight Satisfaction

21.89 22.6825.00

29.0530.97

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Very Sat Satis Some Sat Dissat Very Dis

Very SatSatisSome SatDissatVery Dis

Thoughts about Weight Respondents were asked how often they

thought about their weight. 13% a few times a day 38% almost everyday 27% a few times a month 22% rarely/never think There was no significant difference by

school (p>.05). However, ANOVA revealed that BMI varied

by thoughts about weight (p<.0001).

BMI by Thoughts of Weight

27.94 26.9523.87

22.18

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Few TimesDay

AlmostDaily

Few TimesMonth

RerelyNever

Few Times DayAlmost DailyFew Times MonthRerely Never

Conclusion This study found few significant

differences in weight status and body satisfaction between African American college females attending a HBCU and a PWU.

Differences were due mainly to the demographic characteristics of the samples, particularly housing location.

Conclusion Mean BMI for participants was 25.24±5.56,

thus classifying them as being overweight.

However, further analysis by BMI category showed the majority (55%) had BMI in the healthy range. But, 25% of the respondent could be classified as overweight and 17% could be classified as obese

27% were very dissatisfied/dissatisfied and this was correlated with high BMI

Implications for College Health Consider the housing

arrangements, i.e. whether the off-campus students live alone, at home with relatives, or with roommates.

Need to specifically target students who live off campus

Implications for College Health Weight management programs

should focus on maintaining a healthy weight throughout the entire college career, not just during the freshmen year.

Study Limitations Convenient sample Self-selection bias Self reported weight and height BMI was used as the sole measure to

classify participants’ weight Small sample size. Larger sample may

have found more differences between schools