Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Egondu Onyejekwe

Abstract

African American (AA) women have a 54.8% overall obesity rate in the United States. This quantitative cross-sectional study’s aim was to determine what factors may have an impact on body image perceptions of AA women in Alabama and New Jersey. A gap in research this study addressed is sociodemographic and geographic differences that may impact obesity rates among AA women. The theoretical framework used for this study was the social cognitive theory. Secondary data were obtained from the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Linear regression (LR) analyses results showed that none of the sociodemographic variables (education level, employment status, marital status, and income level) predicted body mass index (BMI) or multiple linear regression (MLR), the omnibus F-test, with F (5, 433) = 2.374, p =.038, and R2 = .027, revealed sociodemographic factors had no significant relationship with BMI (p >.05). LR results, BMI F (1, 551) = .056, p > .05 and MLR revealed physical activity (PA) did not have a significant effect on BMI based on PA in urban, and rural areas, with t (430) = .497 and p =.620. Findings revealed evidence to not reject both null hypotheses. A significant association was obtained when BMI was analyzed with only PA based on, the omnibus F-test, with F (7, 431) = 2.358, p =.023, and R2 = .037, this resulted in 3.7% reduction in BMI among age 40–59-year-old AA women in the study population. PA participation in the past 30 days, t (431) = -2.033, p = .043 was the only predictor of BMI. Future studies may explore if age is a predictor of obesity among AA women. Positive social change implications of these findings could be achieved through creating culturally appropriate PA interventions to reduce obesity rates and barriers to PA among AA women.

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