Religious coping as a moderator in the relationship between obesity and perceived racial discrimination on a sample of Black women

Two hierarchical regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship between perceived racial discrimination (PRD) and religious coping (RC) with obesity in a sample of Black women (N=278). Additional measures were also included in the analyses to assess their relationship with obesity in combination with PRD and RC. The bivariate and multiple correlations for PRD and RC with obesity were not statistically significant in either analysis. However, the effect sizes, although small, showed that as PRD and RC tended to increase, obesity also tended to increase as measured by body mass index and waist circumference. Although the associations were not strong, findings further showed that as age, drinking, smoking and depression tended to increase, obesity also tended to increase while education and income were related to a decrease in obesity. Overall, the most informative outcome was that each of the independent variables was related to obesity in the direction expected based on theory and previous research. As obesity continues to rise in the United States, the gender and racial disparities that exists within this chronic illness also forges upward. Black women are disproportionately affected by this disease and are at an increased risk for the chronic conditions associated with obesity such as heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. Epidemiological studies have found positive associations between chronic stress, in the form of perceived racial discrimination, and obesity. Studies are limited which examine the affects religious coping may have on this relationship. While statistical significance and strong effect sizes did not materialize in this study, the consistent directions of the relationships found provide ample evidence for the encouragement of continued research.