The looking good, feeling good program: A multi-ethnic intervention for healthy body image, nutrition, and physical activity

Research has generally concluded that there is an “epidemic” of dieting among girls, with estimates that as many as 60-80% of White adolescent girls are dieting at any given time (Berg, 1992; CDC, 1996; Rosen and Gross, 1987). Concern has been expressed that the use of extreme methods is escalating and that such dieting behaviors may lead to a higher incidence of eating disorders (Berg, 1992). Although research on body image and dieting behaviors among minority populations is limited compared with that on White women, data suggest that African American women are less likely to diet and are more satisfied with their body shape than their White counterparts. This chapter begins with an overview of the literature on ethnic differences in body image and dieting practices among adolescent girls, with a specific focus on the findings of a largely ethnographic research project carried out in Tucson, Arizona. The chapter then moves to a discussion of how cultural differences informed the development of an intervention focused on media awareness, nutrition, and physical activity for adolescent girls.