Date of Conferral
8-21-2024
Date of Award
August 2024
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Human Services
Advisor
Dr. Barbara Benoliel
Abstract
The rate of obesity continues to rise among adults in the United States, and African American (AA) women are at greater risk in comparison with any other group. This matter has become an alarming public health crisis. Obese AA women also face a higher risk of discrimination in the workforce. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to increase the understanding of the perceptions and experiences of bachelor degree educated, overweight AA women during the postgraduate phase, who entered the workforce within the past 10 years. The theoretical framework used in this study was Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory. The research question queried the social experiences and perceptions of this group. Six AA women participated in individual, online interviews to provide data for cross-case analysis. Five themes were extracted from the analysis: their strong sense of self-advocacy, self-awareness, self-identity, their efforts in career navigation, and the significance of having a positive support system. These findings contributed to the social determinants of health and positive social change by adding new information related to the perseverance and resilience among overweight AA women, and the inequities that they continue to encounter in society.
Recommended Citation
Lycorish, Alea, "Obese African American Women’s Perceptions of Transition from College to Workforce" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 16299.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/16299