19th Annual Student Research Conference
Social Science
Black College Women’s Acculturation and Attitudes about Food
Chinaka I. Agwu
Dr. Jeffrey Vittengl, Faculty Mentor
This study tested potential risk factors for eating disorders among black college women. Participants were 52 African or African-American women enrolled at a medium sized, predominantly Caucasian, public university. Participants completed self-report measures of attitudes about eating and thinness relevant to clinical eating disorders, black and white acculturation, and socioeconomic status and ambition. In partial support of the hypotheses, greater socioeconomic ambition and white acculturation predicted higher eating disorder symptomatology. These results clarify potential risk factors for eating disorders among black college women and highlight the need for continued research on the causes of eating disorders in this population.
Keywords: eating attitudes, black acculturation, eating disorders, white acculturation, ambition, socioeconomic status, women
Topic(s):Psychology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 11-1
Location: VH 1232
Time: 8:15