Date of Conferral
10-20-2026
Date of Award
October 2026
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Health Sciences
Advisor
Scott McDoniel
Abstract
Obesity remains a public health concern among African American (AA) women in the southern United States. Despite separate research on health literacy, eating habits, and obesity, few studies investigate their combined relationship with BMI among AA women in Georgia. Guided by the health belief model, this cross-sectional quantitative study examined whether health literacy and appetitive traits independently and jointly predicted BMI. AA women aged 18 or older living in Georgia were recruited through social media using purposive homogeneous sampling to complete an anonymous Google Forms survey. Health literacy was measured using the Newest Vital Sign, appetitive traits were assessed using the Adult Eating Behaviour Questionnaire, and BMI was calculated from participants' self-reported height and weight. The final analytic sample consisted of N = 69 participants. Bivariate Spearman rank correlations revealed no significant associations between BMI and health literacy (p = .779) or any appetitive traits (p = .077-.970). However, the overall multiple linear regression model was statistically significant, F(9, 59) = 2.053, p < .05, explaining 12.2% of the variance in BMI after accounting for model complexity (R² = .238; adjusted R² = .122). Food Fussiness positively predicted (B = 5.383, p = .010) and Slowness in Eating negatively predicted (B = −3.879, p = .043) BMI. The results support the need for additional culturally responsive, multidimensional obesity prevention strategies that address eating behaviors in addition to health education among AA women.
Recommended Citation
Souffrant, Esther, "Relationship Between African American Women’s Health Literacy, Appetitive Traits, and Body Mass Index" (2026). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 20915.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/20915
