Examination of hair experiences among girls with Black/African American identities.

Negative hair experiences can impact psychological well-being and are an integral part of development through childhood, adolescence, and beyond. The current study utilized a mixed-methods approach to capture the lived experiences of girls relating to their hair. Participants were 105 girls between the ages of 10-15 years old recruited via social media, email, and social organizations with Black/African American, or biracial communities. Satisfaction with natural hair, perceived bullying and teasing relating to hair, social comparisons, and pressure from family and friends were assessed. Approximately, 22% of 10-year olds, 14% of 11-year olds, 54% of 12-year olds, 35% of 13-year olds, and 32% of 14-year olds reported experiencing hair related teasing. Engaging in hair comparison with models/celebrities in the media and peers was significantly associated with less hair satisfaction. Similarly, girls that reported greater frequency of hair-related teasing also had significantly lower scores on hair satisfaction. Finally, having friends who like one's natural hair was significantly associated with higher hair satisfaction scores. Black/African American girls and their experiences around hair have been largely neglected in psychology and body image research, and more research on this topic is required to gain a better understanding of the role it plays in developing young girls.

Personal, social, and physical environmental correlates of physical activity in rural African-American women in Alabama.

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity is prevalent among African-American women in rural Alabama. The purpose of this study was to explore personal, social, and physical environmental factors associated with activity to help plan interventions. METHODS: As part of the Women's Cardiovascular Health Network Project, telephone surveys were collected from African-American women residing in three rural counties. The women reported the number of minutes engaged in moderate or vigorous activities and were categorized into the following groups: (1) inactive (no moderate or vigorous activities), (2) insufficient (not meeting recommendations), and (3) meets recommendations (engaged in moderate activity five times per week for at least 30 minutes or vigorous activity three times per week for at least 20 minutes). Logistic regression modeling was used to identify personal, social, and physical environmental factors associated with the more active groups. RESULTS: Among the 567 women who were classified in physical activity groups, 221 (39%) met the recommendations, 260 (46%) were insufficiently active, and 86 (15%) were inactive. In the adjusted model, the social environmental factors associated with women meeting the recommendations (versus inactive) were attending religious services and seeing people exercise in the neighborhood. Attending religious services, knowing people who exercise, and a higher social issue score were associated with women who reported any activity (versus inactive). No physical environmental factors were associated with the more active groups. CONCLUSIONS: Social environmental factors were associated with higher levels of activity and need to be considered when planning interventions. More research is needed to identify associations between specific aspects of the social environment and physical activity behaviors.