Weight-Related Eating Among Less-Acculturated Latina College Students
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Weight-Related Eating Among Less-Acculturated Latina College Students Elizabeth Diane Cordero1 • Angelica Gutierrez1
Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016
Abstract Less-acculturated Latinos have been found to have unique patterns of weight-related eating attitudes and behaviors. This study examined body mass index (BMI), body image, and various facets of emotional distress as contributors to weight-related eating among less-acculturated female Latina college students. It was hypothesized that unique combinations of BMI, body image, depression, anxiety, and stress would predict routine restraint, compensatory restraint, susceptibility to external cues, and emotional eating in less-acculturated Latina college students. Participants were 141 college students from a rural region in southeastern California who completed questionnaires. Preoccupation with being overweight, a bodyimage variable, significantly predicted routine and compensatory restraint whereas stress was an important correlate of reasons for eating other than hunger. Implications of the findings include the potential to inform models of weight-related eating among less-acculturated Latina college students. Limitations include homogeneity of sample pertinent to Latino descent. Future directions are discussed. Keywords Weight-related eating Latina college students Body image Acculturation Depression Anxiety Stress
& Elizabeth Diane Cordero [email protected] Angelica Gutierrez [email protected] 1
Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, Imperial Valley, 720 Heber Avenue, Calexico, CA 92231, USA
Introduction Acculturation refers to the adoption of a majority group’s culture by a person from a minority group [1]. Acculturation has been inferred or defined in different ways, such as language preference or generational status. Current conceptualizations of acculturation consider acculturation to be multidimensional, and take into account orientation to culture of origin, or enculturation [2]. Acculturation to a majority group’s culture and enculturation to culture of origin are orthogonal thus a person can be more strongly oriented to one culture than the other, highly oriented to both, or weakly oriented to both cultures if at all. For the purpose of this study, the term ‘‘less-acculturated’’ is used as an adjective for Latino adults in the United States who demonstrate stronger orientation toward Latino culture than they do to Anglo culture. Latino adults in the United States have disproportionate levels of overweight and obesity [3], and less-acculturated Latinos endorse attitudes that impede the attainment of healthy weight [4]. For example, less-acculturated, obese Latinos are less likely to have accurate weight perceptions than their more-acculturated counterparts even after controlling for several demographic variables, including education and income [4]. Differential patterns of weightrelated attitudes and behaviors underscore the importance of attention to predictors of weight-related phen
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