Black and white women's weight-related attitudes and parental criticism oftheir childhood appearance

Black (27%) and White (73%) women (n = 215) completed a survey assessing we ight concern, ideal body size beliefs, body dissatisfaction, attitudes towa rd overweight body size, and parental criticism of their childhood appearan ce. Sixty-four percent of the women reported they were currently trying to lose weight and 63% desired a body size thinner than their own. High weight concern and negative attitudes toward overweight persons were reported, re spectively, by 45% and 17%, of the women. The only significant difference f ound by race was weight concern as White women rated this significantly hig her than Black women. No significant frequencies of choice were associated with the women's socioeconomic level. Self-reported ratings of weight conce rn were significant and positively associated with those for body dissatisf action, negative attitudes toward overweight persons, negative attitudes to ward one's own overweight, and criticism of childhood appearance by mothers or fathers.