An exploratory descriptive study of factors contributing African American perceptions of body image and level of self-esteem, 2005

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors of body-image perception and level of self-esteem among individuals of African-American descent and to ascertain if there was a statistical significant relationship between the two variables. This study was based on the premise that African-Americans suffer from low levels of self-esteem for many reasons, but this study's aim was to investigate if African Americans' perceptions of body imagery will alter their level of self-esteem. This exploratory descriptive study used a non-probability convenience sample of 33 African-American participants, who completed a survey that consisted of demographic information and questions relating to Body Satisfaction and Level of Self-esteem scales. The frequency distribution and Pearson's r was used to analyze data. The researcher found that there was no statistical significant relationship between factors that contribute to African Americans' perception of body image and level of self-esteem. The p-value was greater than .05; therefore, the researcher accepted the null hypothesis