Coping with discriminatory stress: overeating among racial/ethnic minorities

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between overeating and discriminatory stress among racial/ethnic minorities. The potential association between these two variables would help unlock new contributing factors to the obesity disparity to further direct health promotion interventions. Methods: A sample of African American/Black, American Indian, and Hispanic/Latino(a)/Spanish American adults (N = 222) were recruited to participate in an online, survey-based, cross-sectional study. The 64-item survey consisted of the Schedule of Racist Events-Generic, questions from the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, and demographic questions. Results: African American/Black participants reported more discriminatory events throughout their lifetime and also appraised those events as more stressful in comparison to both American Indian and Hispanic/Latino(a)/Spanish American participants. Similarly, past year experiences with discrimination were also higher for African American/Black participants compared to Hispanic/Latino(a)/Spanish American participants. However, there were no racial/ethnic differences in reports of overeating. There was a weak, positive correlation between overeating and all three subscales for the Schedule of Racist Events-Generic—incidences of overeating increased as frequency of reported racial discrimination and related stress increased. Conclusion: This study illustrates another potential link to the obesity health disparity that may be impairing the health of racial/ethnic minorities. The results can be used to create more effective interventions to alleviate health inequities and improve the health of racial/ethnic minority populations.