AICER Presents Dr. Woolford-Hunt

The H.A.I.R Study (Hair, Activity, Identity and Race

Andrews International Center for Educational Research (AICER) invites students and faculty to attend a research symposium on Thursday, November 20, at 5:30 p.m.

Presenter: Dr. Carole Woolford-Hunt, Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology Program Coordinator, Andrews University

The H.A.I.R. Study- (Hair, Activity, Identity, and Race)
African American Adolescent Girls’ Opinions of Hairstyle Choices and Physical Activity

The prevalence of obesity among African American (AA) females is higher than for any other subpopulation in the US. This disparity in obesity prevalence is not apparent in young children but is marked during the adolescent years. Obesity in adolescence has been shown to increase the risks of developing numerous diseases including type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and psychosocial sequalae.  Furthermore, obese adolescents are more likely than their peers to become severely obese adults who are at risk for early cardiovascular disease, stroke, and premature death.

Previous research suggests that differences in participation in physical activity contributes to this disparity in obesity prevalence, with AA adolescent girls reporting lower levels of physical activity than their Caucasian peers. There are likely many reasons for this difference in physical activity and further work is needed to explore this issue. Research among adult AA women suggests that concerns about hair style maintenance impacts their level of engagement in physical activity. Little is known regarding whether this concern influences AA adolescent girls’ decisions to participate in physical activity. Furthermore, to our knowledge, no previous research has explored whether ethnic identity is associated with levels of physical activity among AA adolescent girls. 

Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore whether relationships exist between ethnic identity, hairstyle choices and physical activity among African American adolescent girls.

Face-to-face participants meet in Bell Hall 013

Online participants login as "Guest" at                        
https://andrews.adobeconnect.com/_a877709416/research/  or        
http://www.andrews.edu/sed/aicer/researchwebinars/ whether or not they are registered Andrews students.