Attitudes Toward Exercise: Body Ideal Versus Health

Background/Purpose: Obesity-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and premature death, impact Blacks and Latinos at greater rates than other ethnic groups. Although exercise has been documented for decades as a leading approach to decrease risk for obesity-related diseases, Black and Latino populations report lower rates of exercise than Whites. Interestingly, despite the level of overweight/obesity in the Black female population, Black females report lower levels of body dissatisfaction compared to their White counterparts, and a wider range of body shapes (including those with BMI’s classified as overweight and obese) are acceptable in Black females compared to White females. Method: Using grounded theory, this qualitative study (N = 25) explored factors related to attitudes toward exercise among Black, Latina, and White females who self-reported exercising fewer than two days weekly. The study was conducted at a Midwestern urban university categorized as a Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) with approximately 25 percent Latino students. The qualitative design included an individual survey with open-ended questions as well as a focus group composed of those who responded to the survey. The survey was framed around the individual with twenty questions grouped under three major categories – individual health, perceptions about themselves, and others’ perceptions about themselves. The focus group questions were framed around culturally- based perceptions of body ideal. Analysis/Results: Results suggest that attitudes about body ideal are culturally influenced and directly impact the likelihood of choosing exercise as a preventative or risk-reduction strategy to combat obesity. As a correlate, the study also suggests that the desire to exercise is related primarily to appearance (to approach body ideal) rather than health.  Additionally, the study reveals that in those cultural groups where a larger body size is ideal, women may reduce the importance of exercise because they fear that losing weight will reduce their appeal to current and potential mates. Conclusions: These findings indicate a need to promote the preventative health benefits of exercise in those cultural communities that view exercise only as a means to achieve body ideal.