African-American women's characteristics, experiences of stress, and perceived racial discrimination upon entrance into a cable television weight loss intervention study

The study first sought to identify the characteristics, such as stress, perceived racial discrimination of mostly obese (69% with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2), middle-aged (M = 43.6 years) African American women (n = 362; 76% African-American) voluntarily is entering a cable TV weight loss intervention in a Northeast region. The majority (67%) had some post high school education, while almost two thirds had an income below {dollar}40,000 per year, and most were employed full time (65.9%). Women who worried the most about their weight had the highest BMI (M = 36.16; SD = 7.88). Women who most often ate when depressed or sad felt the most discriminated against (MRDSS = 2.92). Women who most often ate when stressed felt the most discriminated against (MRDSS = 2.93) and women who worried the most about their weight had a higher stress level (6.64). It is concluded that there is a relationship between perceived racial discrimination and eating when stressed.