Self-perception and dieting behavior of New York Caribbeans, Euro-Americans and African-Americans

Abstract

Perceptions about one's body size reflect attitudes toward obesity and thinness. Understanding such attitudes may provide insights into why some women diet more readily than others. Self-perception (body image), and dieting history were studied in a group of one hundred seventy-four women recruited from the Methodist Hospital staff in Brooklyn, NY. Instruments used included the Massara & Stunkard body image cards (1979) and a battery of questions regarding socio-cultural background, anthropometry and dieting history. Results of multiple regression analyses showed that tall and slight women were more likely to overestimate, while short and heavy women were more likely to underestimate actual body size. Anglo-Americans were more likely to perceive their body size as larger than actual compared to Caribbeans and African-Americans. More women with a history of dieting (dieters) perceived their body size to diverge considerably from their judgments regarding peers', mates' and family's ideals for attractive body size compared to non-dieters. Dieters were also more likely to make an inaccurate estimation of their actual body size compared to non-dieters suggesting that dieters do not have a realistic image of their body size. Overweight Puerto Ricans were less likely than women from other ethnic groups to have a history of dieting. We conclude that: 1) actual size and ethnicity affect self-perception; 2) dieters and non-dieters differ in self-perception and in ideals for preferred body size; 3) Puerto Rican women are less concerned with dieting compared to other women.