Family food and shape messages: Capturing the experiences of African-American women

Four studies explored the family food experiences (FFEs) of African-American (AA) in relation to disordered eating and body image concerns. Focus groups of AA women expressed FFEs that shaped their relationships with food (Study 1). We used the resulting framework to create a measure assessing FFEs related to disordered eating (Family Food Experiences-Black Questionnaire; FFBQ). Measure items were subjected to a content analysis (Study 2). Subject matter experts rated ten items essential (CVR ≥ 0.62, p < 0.05). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on the 10-item FFBQ in a sample of AA (N = 66) women (Study 3). The two-factor model explained 41.14% of the variance in the items (Χ2 = 25.04, df = 26, p = 0.52. Finally, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on the FFBQ in a new sample of AA women (N = 167) to confirm the factor structure. The EFA yielded two subscales: a Traditional Thin-Ideal (TTI) and a Curvy Ideal (CI) subscale (reflecting messages that emphasize valuation of curves). These subscales were confirmed by CFA in a second sample of AA women with modifications to two items (Χ2 = 32.63, Χ2/df = 2.04). Disordered eating was positively correlated with messages reflecting both ideals while only messages reflecting the Curvy Ideal was related to body image disturbance. Implications include a need for further study of the duality of body ideal messages and the impact on body image/disordered eating disturbance in AA women.