DDIG: Body Cultures, African American Girls, and Physical Activity Engagement

博士生斯蒂芬妮·麦克卢尔将在艾琳·安德森-费伊博士的指导下，在一个特定的种族和年龄组--非裔美国少女--中进行身体概念化和身体活动参与度之间的关系的研究。这项研究的重点是回答两个关键问题。第一个问题是：当地的文化背景如何影响身体代理，身体作为身份的一种表达？(当地的文化背景包括生活经验、家庭和同伴规范、当地历史和宏观社会结构。)第二个问题是：身体机构如何塑造身体活动参与的意义和实践？这些问题很重要，因为虽然非裔美国女孩在青春期相关的体力活动减少比其他种族的女孩更明显，但她们的实际体力活动水平、低体重标准和身体形象重点各不相同。如果仅用种族规范作为解释，这种群体内的差异是不能解释的。这项研究将在一所高中进行。研究人员将采用定性和定量相结合的研究方法，包括：焦点小组访谈、半结构化个人访谈、直接观察、电子体力活动监测和人体测量。这项研究将提供关于非裔美国人的文化变异性以及身份认同、身体概念化和青少年生活背景下的身体实践之间的互动的必要数据。研究结果将为制定有效的肥胖预防计划和针对美国青少年的政策提供信息。资助这项研究还有助于社会科学家的教育。

Doctoral student Stephanie McClure, supervised by Dr. Eileen Anderson-Fye, will undertake research on the relationships between body conceptualization and physical activity engagement within a specific racial and age group -- African American adolescent girls. The research focuses on answering two overarching questions. The first question is: how do local cultural contexts affect body agency, the body as an expression of identity? (Local cultural contexts comprise the blend of lived experience, family and peer norms, local history, and macro-level social constructions.) The second question is: how does body agency shape the meanings and practices of physical activity engagement? These questions are important because while adolescence-associated declines in physical activity are more marked for African American girls than for girls of other racial groups, their actual physical activity levels, low body weight norms, and body image focus vary. This within-group variability is not accounted for if racial norms alone are used as an explanation. The research will be conducted in a high school. The researcher will employ a mix of qualiatative and quantitative research methods, including: focus group interviews, semi-structured individual interviews, direct observation, electronic physical activity monitoring, and anthropometric measurement. This research will provide needed data about cultural variability among African Americans and the interaction between identity, body conceptualization and bodily practice in adolescent life contexts more generally. Research findings will inform the development of effective obesity prevention programs and policies targeting American adolescents. Funding this research also contributes to the education of a social scientist.