
The holidays are here and many Hispanic women can expect to deal with a host of mixed messages when they pass by a table full of festive foods, a new study says. At social gatherings, Hispanic women might be encouraged to eat more on the one hand, while also being cautioned not to overeat on the other, researchers report in a study published in the December issue of the journal Body Image. “You’ll go see your grandma and your grandma is telling you to eat more, eat more, you’re so skinny,” one participant in the study told researchers. “But then when you’re not being prompted by somebody else to eat a lot and you go get a second plate or get a second bowl of something, and they’re [saying], ‘Oh wow, you’re eating a lot.’” For the study, researchers interviewed 19 Hispanic women about their positive and negative body image experiences. The open nature of the research allowed for detailed description of the mixed messages Hispanic women face related to their body image, researchers said. Hispanic women tend to have high rates of body dissatisfaction, which increases their risk of eating disorders, said lead researcher Sarah Johnson-Munguia, a University of Kansas graduate student with the Center for the Advancement of Research on Eating Behaviors Lab. “There’s a lot of stereotypes in the eating disorder world… read on > read on >