The association between the body mass index (BMI) of African American college women and their exposure to magazine advertisements

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and exposure to magazine advertisements among African-American college women aged 19 to 29. This study also sought to determine how personal, behavioral, and environmental factors affect the BMI of African-American college women.

A sample of 252 African-American college women enrolled in undergraduate degree programs in the Southeast United States completed a web-based survey on their weight-related health behaviors and magazine usage. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multivariable regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

Bivariate correlations showed significant associations between BMI and several independent variables, including age, mean household income, and physical activity. However, no correlation was seen between BMI and the main independent variable, Reader Usage Measure (RUM). In the full regression model, RUM was not significantly associated with BMI suggesting that other factors, such as African-American magazine readership, are influencing the BMI of African-American college women.

Keywords: advertisements, African-American women, college, magazines, obesity