Latina Girls Aspire to ‘Be Normal’ When Making Choices About Healthy Living.

A new Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) study sheds light on the childhood obesity crisis among girls, which affects one in five Latina girls in the United States today, by directly asking girls how they define health and what motivates them to lead a healthier lifestyle.

According to the study, which is also being released in Spanish, girls today define health as more than just eating right and exercising; it is also about positive self-esteem and getting support from family and peers. The study also finds that while Latina girls tend to have a more positive body image and tend to have a broader concept of beauty than their White and Asian counterparts — many are still not embracing healthy habits in their everyday lives.

“The New Normal? What Girls Say About Healthy Living,” combines focus group research with online surveys of more than 2,000 eight- to 17-year-old girls including 400 Latina girls. The study resulted in four broad findings amongst all of the girls surveyed:

— Girls have basic knowledge about healthy eating but often don’t act on this knowledge, making poor diet and exercise choices.
— Mothers exert tremendous influence as the most frequently cited source of health information and as role models for their daughters.
— For most girls, being healthy has more to do with appearing “normal” and feeling accepted than maintaining good diet and exercise habits
— Emotional health, self-esteem and body image play a critical role in girls’ attitudes about diet and exercise

“Bringing the voice of girls to the forefront of the conversation on childhood obesity gives us insight on how we can inspire and support girls to embrace lifelong healthy habits in ways that matter to them,” says Patricia Diaz Dennis, Chair, Girl Scouts of the USA National Board of Directors. “Girl Scouts will play an even greater role in partnering with local communities, schools and influencers to address the obesity epidemic facing all youth and in particular young Latinas, who are the second most overweight group of children in this country.”

What Girls Say vs. What Girls Do

While all girls in the study have basic nutritional knowledge and know the benefits of physical fitness, many don’t put this knowledge into practice. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Latina women are the least active of all ethnic groups, with 27.5 percent of Latina women spending less than 10 minutes a week on physical activity (vs. 12.5 percent of White non-Hispanics). The GSRI study finds that Latina girls reflect this adult trend and are the least physically active of all the participants surveyed.

With optional physical education classes, most girls are not getting regular physical activity at school. Nearly 60 percent of Latina girls say they do not participate in school sports with 33 percent citing a lack of energy as the primary reason. Thirty percent of Latina girls cited that they are not physically active (vs. 25% for White non-Hispanic girls).

During non-school hours, 11-17 year-old Latinas like their non-Hispanic counterparts, identify sedentary activities as their top three leisure activities of choice. As many as 50 percent of Latina girls occupy their spare time with TV viewing, followed by listening to music (30 percent) and using the computer (26 percent).

Obstacles at home and in school discourage many girls from adopting healthier eating habits. At school, vending machines, poor taste and quality of school lunches are all barriers. 58 percent of Latina girls make school vending machine purchases at least once or twice a week and 36 percent skip lunch at least once or twice a week— more than other participants surveyed.

At home, 43 percent of Latina girls eat in front of the TV at least three or four times per week. This decline in the frequency of family meals, increased television watching and computer use limit girls options and make poor health choices easier.

The Crucial Role of Mothers

The study finds that mothers play a crucial role in their daughters’ health habits. Findings show:

— Girls with active mothers are more likely to be active themselves.
— Girls with overweight mothers are more likely to be overweight.
— Girls whose mothers have a negative body image are more likely to feel dissatisfied with their own bodies regardless of what the daughter actually weighs.

Nearly 60 percent of Latina girls (vs. 54 percent of White non-Hispanic girls) cite their mothers as role models and as leading sources of nutritional information. Girls also say mothers are their primary source of emotional reinforcement. While 11 percent of Latina girls say they almost never hear positive feedback on how they look, 89 percent report that their mothers make positive comments on how they look.

Given the influence mothers and female role models have on girls, efforts to improve the healthy living habits of girls must also target adults who take an active role in the lives of girls.

Looking “Normal”, Feeling Healthy

Nearly all girls, including Latinas, often associated their health goals as being a “normal” level of healthy, a concept they often associated with appearing normal and being supported by peers and family, as a priority. All of the girls in the study tend to view any diet or lifestyle choice as healthy as long as it doesn’t harm their appearance or their relationships with friends and family.

For Latina girls from new immigrant families, the concept of a “normal” level of healthy can be further exasperated as they acquire health habits considered “normal” amongst other girls in the US. According to the American Obesity Association this level of acculturation may actually further increase vulnerability in Latina girls and has a negative impact on food consumption, eating habits, and body image.

An Integrated View of Health

A strict focus on physical health does not resonate with girls. Virtually all girls agree that “emotional health is as important as physical health,” and 86 percent of Latina girls believe that feeling good about yourself is more important than how you look. Nearly 50 percent of Latina girls agree that being overweight is not a problem if you feel good about yourself (vs. 37 percent of White non-Hispanic girls). Girls’ view that physical and emotional health are of equal importance is also reflected in their behavior. For example, 32 percent of Latinas ages 11-17 reported eating more when they are “stressed out”, at least 10 percent more than the other girls surveyed. All girls also tend to be more prone to stress and worry than boys, making them more susceptible to this behavior. In the study, girls were generally more concerned than boys about every issue from getting along with friends to doing well in school to how they look.

For more information at http://www.girlscouts.org