PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
There has been an obesity crisis in the U.S. for the last 30 years. African American women have the highest
rates of obesity in the U.S. compared to every other race/ethnicity and gender cohort. New and innovative
strategies to address obesity among this group must be used to reverse this trend, especially for young African
American women who have grown up in a technology driven society, unlike their older counterparts.
Information regarding health and healthy practices are much more available to this group of women. In
addition, the use of social media has become a daily task for Generation Z women, so it is vital that healthcare
professionals understand how social media use impacts the health behaviors of Generation Z African
American women, especially as it pertains to obesity, which can lead to chronic illnesses, such as heart
disease and type 2 diabetes. The proposed study seeks to 1) understand the impact imagery-based social
media use has on the diet and exercise habits of Generation Z African American Women. Using a mixed
methods research design to collect qualitative data and design a quantitative psychometric measure; 2)
determine the eating and fitness habits of Generation Z Black women using a convergent mixed methods
research design to triangulate students’ qualitative responses and quantitative responses on existing health
behavior measures to ensure that the quantitative measures effectively measure the health behaviors of the
sample population; 3) determine the impact that Instagram “fitspiration”, “thinspiration”, and body
positivity/#healthatanysize messages have on current and planned eating and fitness activities using a
correlational study (to determine the relationship between variables) and an experimental study (to determine
causality between the independent variable and dependent variable) and 4) engage African American
psychology undergraduates and graduates in extensive mixed methods research training that will include
qualitative and quantitative data collection, coding, analysis, and interpretation, psychometric measure design,
as well as research findings dissemination. Considering the power of social media’s influence, it is likely an
avenue to increasing positive health habits to prolong the lives of Black women. Understanding how social
media impacts the health and fitness habits of younger generations of African American women can lead to
preventions that lower the incidence of obesity in these women.
