Does having a high body esteem buffer Black women from physical limitations in late life? A sizable body of literature suggests African American women generally report higher levels of body esteem compared to other groups. Yet, they experience greater difficulties in physical function and disproportionately higher rates of obesity compared to other racial-ethnic gender groups. We find that positive body perceptions may buffer against negative psychological and health-related outcomes associated with functional decline.
Even more importantly, our findings suggest that there is no universal buffer of body esteem for African American women, challenging long-held notions that because African American women report slightly higher average body esteem than other ethnic groups, they are protected from low body esteem and associated negative outcomes.
