The role of family status and ethnic group on body image and eating behavior.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the role of ethnic group and family status on body dissatisfaction and eating behavior.

METHOD

One hundred women (Asian mothers and daughters, n = 50; white mothers and daughters, n = 50) completed a questionnaire about their perceived ethnic identity (acculturation), body image, and eating behavior.

RESULTS

The results showed no matching between mothers and daughters and no effect of acculturation on body image and eating behavior. However, mothers reported greater body dissatisfaction and white subjects reported higher levels of restrained eating. In addition, the results showed a significant Ethnic Group x Family Status interaction for both body image and eating behavior irrespective of body mass index (BMI). Accordingly, white daughters were found to be the most dissatisfied with their bodies and most concerned with the calorie content of their food, followed by the Asian mothers. White mothers were found to be the most satisfied with their body and Asian daughters were the least concerned with calories.

DISCUSSION

The results are discussed in terms of the changing nature of media images in both Asian and white cultures and the impact of the transition between these two cultures.