Table 2.

Weight Status, Age, Disordered Eating, Sociocultural Influencers of Media, Body Image, and Psychological Factors of Female College Students by Race/Ethnicity

Characteristic (possible score range)	Cronbach’s α	White (n=839)	Asian (n=299)	Hispanic (n=153)	Black (n=154)	Main Effects^#
Characteristic (possible score range)	Cronbach’s α	Mean±SD^*	Mean±SD	Mean±SD	Mean±SD	F	p-value
Weight Status & Age
Body Mass Index	n/a	22.62±3.75^†^a	21.58±3.43^b	23.61±4.24^c	25.01±5.04^d	29.07	<0.001
Age (years)	n/a	19.64±1.40	19.54±1.57	19.80±1.46	19.66±1.24	1.17	0.320
Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire
Restraint (0 to 6)	0.84	1.54±1.49^ad	1.07±1.27^ac	1.50±1.44^acd	0.82±1.23^b	19.16	<0.001
Eating Concerns (0 to 6)	0.79	0.95±1.13^a	0.84±1.04^a	0.87±1.05^a	0.63±0.96^b	9.10	<0.001
Weight Concerns (0 to 6)	0.85	2.07±1.63^a	1.86±1.51^a	2.14±1.65^a	1.54±1.49^b	18.16	<0.001
Shape Concerns (0 to 6)	0.90	2.49±1.64^a	2.18±1.56^a	2.63±1.65^a	1.88±1.52^b	18.04	<0.001
Global EDE-Q (0 to 6)	n/a	1.76±1.33^a	1.49±1.21^a	1.78±1.30^a	1.22±1.15^b	19.15	<0.001
Three Factor Eating Questionnaire
Emotional Eating (1 to 4)	0.84	2.24±0.76^a	2.11±0.73^a	2.23±0.81^a	1.95±0.73^b	10.82	<0.001
Disinhibited Eating (1 to 4)	0.74	2.23±0.67^a	2.19±0.69^a	2.18±0.70^a	1.94±0.63^b	10.53	<0.001
Sociocultural Influencers of Media
Pressures from Media (1 to 5)	0.88	3.55±0.95^ad	3.19±1.05^ac	3.44±0.96^acd	2.93±1.08^b	29.48	<0.001
Information from Media (1 to 5)	0.87	3.15±0.89^a	3.06±0.96^a	3.01±0.87^ab	2.77±0.98^b	7.71	<0.001
Internalization of Media Messages (1 to 5)	n/a	3.40±1.12^ac	2.96±1.22^abd	3.20±1.20^a	2.81±1.26^b	18.71	<0.001
Body Image Factors
Body Checking & Avoidance (1 to 6)	0.72	3.19±1.38^a	3.01±1.32^a	3.14±1.35^a	2.62±1.36^b	18.07	<0.001
Body Image Distortion (−2 to 2)^§	n/a	−0.13±0.53^a	0.05±0.55^b	−0.04±0.52^ab	−0.14±0.55^a	12.01	<0.001
Self-Evaluative Salience (1 to 5)	0.84	3.40±0.70^a	3.33±0.74^a	3.25±0.73^ac	3.17±0.78^bc	9.63	<0.001
Motivational Salience (1 to 5)	0.71	3.75±0.64^a	3.58±0.73^b	3.68±0.55^ab	3.70±0.73^ab	5.36	0.001
Psychological Factors
Self-Esteem (1 to 5)	0.84	3.64±0.85^a	3.44±0.89^b	3.77±0.93^a	4.00±0.83^c	21.62	<0.001
Depression (0 to 24)	0.86	5.82±4.60	6.34±4.80	6.47±5.59	5.60±5.14	2.48	0.060

SD=Standard Deviation

Analysis of covariance by race with body mass index as the covariate.

^†

Superscript lowercase letters followed by differing lowercase superscript letters in a row indicated significant differences between racial/ethnic groups using post-hoc tests (Bonferroni procedures).

^§

Defined as perceived body weight score minus actual body weight category (i.e., underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese). Means closer to zero indicate body weight is perceived accurately. Positive values indicate that individuals perceived they were heavier than they actually were whereas negative values indicate that individuals perceived they weighed less than they actually did.