1 Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA.
Qual Health Res. 2018 Jul;28(8):1242-1254. doi: 10.1177/1049732317753588. Epub 2018 Jan 22.
Negative attitudes toward being overweight or obese are widespread, and these notions perpetuate into conceptions about one's health. Clinically, being overweight is associated with health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and many other illnesses. African American women, who are generally larger in body size, are a particular target for health interventions. However, these women have resisted the "obesity" label, arguing that dominant measures of health are White norms and oppressive. Through the use of in-depth interviews, this study investigates how African American women understand and experience healthfulness, body image, and barriers to each. Findings show that African American women are ambivalent in their acceptance of dominant markers of health and expressed an almost universal disdain for the thin ideal as a marker of "good" health and a positive body image. Moreover, participants articulated a suspicion of formal medical measurements of obesity.
人们普遍对超重或肥胖持负面态度，这些观念也影响了人们对健康的看法。临床上，超重与糖尿病、高血压、心脏病和许多其他疾病等健康问题有关。非裔美国女性的体型通常较大，是健康干预的特定目标。然而，这些女性抵制“肥胖”标签，认为主流的健康衡量标准是白人规范，是压迫性的。本研究通过深入访谈，调查了非裔美国女性如何理解和体验健康、身体形象以及两者之间的障碍。研究结果表明，非裔美国女性对主流健康标志的接受程度存在矛盾心理，并表示几乎普遍对瘦的理想标准不屑一顾，认为其是“良好”健康和积极身体形象的标志。此外，参与者对肥胖的正式医学测量表示怀疑。
