Perception of Body Image as a Tool for Health Education to Help Reduce the Obesity Epidemic among HBCU College Students

An abstract of a study by Brown et al determining whether perceived body image is correlated to actual body image, body mass index, and obesity is presented. Results suggest that Historically Black Colleges & Universities freshmen students perceive a larger body image as 'healthy' compared with reports in literature of other populations. An unrealistic view of one's body image may be associated with increased risk of obesity. Therefore, early and intensive intervention within this population is critical to curbing the national obesity epidemic.