Weight management practices among Hispanic college females
Abstract
Although a growing number of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors have been reported among college women, little is known about the weight management practices of college-age Hispanics. This study examined the weight management goals and practices among 420 Hispanic college females in El Paso, TX. In addition, the study investigated body mass index and body weight perceptions. The results showed that most Hispanic college students had relatively normal BMI's and held accurate perceptions of their weight. Despite the low levels of overweight and accurate weight perceptions, many women still desired to lose weight. The prevalence of the weight management practices revealed that restraint practices, such as controlling portion size and fat in the diet, were used most often for weight control and that regular exercise, while reported by a majority of the participants, was not used to lose weight or keep from gaining weight. In addition, the results revealed that more severely disordered eating patterns were observed rare in this population subgroup. The findings provide insight to the weight loss and control practices of Hispanic college females as well as suggestions for further study and recommended interventions.
Subject Area
Public health|Minority & ethnic groups|Sociology|Womens studies
Recommended Citation
Shamaley-Kornatz, Angelee Gigi, "Weight management practices among Hispanic college females" (2004). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI1423696.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI1423696