Ethnic Discrimination and Weight Outcomes Among Latinx Emerging Adults: Examinations of an Individual-Level Mediator and Cultural Moderators

Objectives: Latinxs have the highest prevalence of obesity in the United States, which can further contribute to the pervasive disparities in morbidity and mortality. Although the experience of discrimination is associated with obesity in racial/ethnic minorities, mediators and moderators of this association, specifically among Latinx emerging adults, have been understudied. The present study investigated an individual-level mediator (eating disorder symptoms) and cultural moderators (familismo support, ethnic identity affirmation) of the association between perceived discrimination and body mass index (BMI) among Latinx emerging adults. Method: Secondary analysis was conducted using cross-sectional data obtained from 198 Latinx emerging adults (70% female, M-age = 20.59, SDage = 1.78). Results: Participants who reported greater, as opposed to fewer, experiences of ethnic discrimination were likely to report more eating disorder symptoms, which in turn was associated with increased BMI. There was no evidence supporting familismo support or ethnic identity affirmation as moderators, suggesting that even those with high levels of familismo or ethnic identity were susceptible to the negative consequences of the experience of ethnic discrimination. Conclusions: Addressing health-compromising eating behaviors and attitudes among Latinx emerging adults might be one effective means to addressing the negative consequences of discrimination on weight-related outcomes.