Elizabeth D. Cordero

Fat Talk among College Students: How Undergraduates Communicate Regarding Food and Body Weight, Shape & Appearance

This article is based on an empirical study designed to learn more about how college students communicate regarding food and body/weight/shape/appearance. Data from a survey of 272 randomly selected college students (82 males and 190 females) were collected and analyzed to explore the relationships of “fat talk,” a behavior described by Nichter to refer to conversations about eating and body-related issues, to eating pathology and body dissatisfaction. Results indicate that the frequency of fat talk is positively related to eating pathology and body dissatisfaction in students with and without an eating-disorder diagnosis. Furthermore, results reveal that the most frequently reported topic of fat talk was other peoples appearance. Suggestions for modifying conventional prevention and intervention efforts aimed at decreasing undergraduate eating pathology and body dissatisfaction by incorporating strategies to reduce the occurrence of “fat talk” are included.

Longitudinal evaluation of peer health education on a college campus: impact on health behaviors.

Objective: The authors investigated the longitudinal impact of peer health education on the health behaviors of undergraduate students pertaining to alcohol and drug use, eating and nutrition, and sexual health. Participants: From fall 2003 to spring 2006, the authors annually administered a Web-based survey to a cohort of 2,000 randomly selected undergraduate students. Results: Students who had contact with peer health educators were significantly more likely over time than other students to report less alcohol consumption and fewer related negative consequences. Results also show that students who had contact with peer health educators initially endorsed engaging in unhealthy weight management and fat talk behaviors during their first year but decreased these unhealthy behaviors by their third year. No significant differences in sexual health behaviors were found. Conclusions: Results indicate that peer health educators play an important role in promoting healthy behaviors in the areas of alcohol and drug use and in eating and nutrition.

Disordered Eating and the Use of Unhealthy Weight Control Methods in College Students: 1995, 2002, and 2008

This study investigated whether eating disorders and the use of unhealthy weight control methods increased over time in male and female university undergraduate students. Data from three random sample surveys of college students were collected over a 13-year period to investigate trends in disordered eating and unhealthy weight control behaviors. Data were collected in 2008 from 641 male and female randomly sampled undergraduate students were compared to 274 randomly sampled undergraduates surveyed in 2002 and 493 surveyed in 1995. Behaviors falling within the diagnostic category of eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) in both males and females significantly increased over time in accordance with the use of unhealthy weight control methods. Eating disorders should be routinely addressed by college health professionals through both treatment and prevention efforts, especially considering the frequent concurrent psychiatric and physiological comorbidities.

Impact of curriculum infusion on college students' drinking behaviors

Abstract Objective: A posttest-only experimental design was used to examine the effectiveness of curriculum infusion (CI) in reducing alcohol consumption and associated negative consequences among college students. Methods: Faculty teaching 2 identical courses during the same quarter were recruited; both classes were randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group, and alcohol information was infused into the treatment classes in addition to the regular curriculum. Participants: A diverse group of 343 undergraduate students participated, with 179 students in the treatment classes and 164 in the control classes. Results: No significant difference was found in alcohol consumption between the 2 groups. Students in the treatment classes reported significantly less negative consequences related to drinking than their counterparts. The effectiveness of CI was not related to subject matter and was equally effective with all students. Conclusion: CI was effective in reducing negative drinking consequences in college students despite not affecting drinking behaviors.

Self-esteem, social support, collectivism, and the thin-ideal in Latina undergraduates

Thin-ideal internalization (TII) reflects agreement that thinness equates with beauty. TII is a risk factor for body dissatisfaction and eating pathology; this phenomenon and its correlates, however, are just beginning to be studied in Latina undergraduates. This study examined the ability of self-esteem, social support, and collectivism to predict TII in 279 Latina undergraduates. It was hypothesized that higher levels of self-esteem, social support, and collectivism would predict lower levels of TII. Cross-sectional data were analyzed using multiple regression; the model was significant, p<.01. Although both self-esteem and social support negatively correlated with thin-ideal internalization, only self-esteem accounted for a significant amount of variance. Results indicate that investigations of self-esteem as a protective factor against TII in Latina undergraduates would be fruitful, as would how self-esteem and social support affect the relationship between TII and other variables. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Measurement of disordered eating in Latina college women.

The Eating Disorder Risk Composite (EDRC) comprises the Drive for Thinness, Bulimia, and Body Dissatisfaction subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory, Third Edition (EDI-3, Garner, 2004). Past research conducted with Latina college women (LCW) has found older versions of the EDRC subscales to be reliable, but the EDI-3s EDRC factor structure has yet to be studied among LCW. The present study investigated the pattern of responses to and the factor structure of the EDRC in LCW. It was hypothesized that eating pathology would be present and that a factor analysis would find some discrepancies between the original factor structure of the EDRC and the factor structure from LCW. Analyses of data on a 6-point Likert scale indicate that drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction are far more prevalent than is bulimic symptomology in LCW. Principal Axis Factoring with promax rotation was used to extract three factors very similar to the original EDRC. Some discrepancies in the item loadings were observed, most notably that half of the items from the original Body Dissatisfaction subscale did not load together on one factor. Overall, the EDRC appears to be a good measurement of eating- and body-related phenomena among LCW. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Fat Talk and Body Dissatisfaction among College Dancers.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate “fat talk” conversations about weight and body dissatisfaction within college dancers. Participants were 116 female undergraduates who were dancers/dance majors (n = 20), dancers/nondance majors (n = 32), and nondancers (n = 63). Participants responded to hypothetical fat-talk scenarios, the Body Esteem Scale (BES; Franzoi and Shields 1984), and a demographic questionnaire. Dancers who were nondance majors reported that they would engage in more fat talk than nondancers and dance majors; there were no differences among the groups on scores on the BES. The study determined that severity of self-critical fat talk negatively predicted BES scores. This research provides insight into the frequency and critical nature of fat talk and body dissatisfaction in college dancers and can be used to increase awareness for both instructors and students of the harmful consequences of engaging in fat talk.

Weight-Related Eating Among Less-Acculturated Latina College Students

Less-acculturated Latinos have been found to have unique patterns of weight-related eating attitudes and behaviors. This study examined body mass index (BMI), body image, and various facets of emotional distress as contributors to weight-related eating among less-acculturated female Latina college students. It was hypothesized that unique combinations of BMI, body image, depression, anxiety, and stress would predict routine restraint, compensatory restraint, susceptibility to external cues, and emotional eating in less-acculturated Latina college students. Participants were 141 college students from a rural region in southeastern California who completed questionnaires. Preoccupation with being overweight, a body-image variable, significantly predicted routine and compensatory restraint whereas stress was an important correlate of reasons for eating other than hunger. Implications of the findings include the potential to inform models of weight-related eating among less-acculturated Latina college students. Limitations include homogeneity of sample pertinent to Latino descent. Future directions are discussed.