Perceived racial discrimination and eating habits: a systematic review and conceptual models

Abstract

Context There is no systematic review on the relationship between racial discrimination and eating habits. Objective A systematic review was conducted to synthesize evidence on the association between perceived racial discrimination (PRD) and eating habits. A conceptual model was developed to depict the most common mechanisms used to explain this association. Data Sources Articles were retrieved from the PubMed, Embase, LILACS, and PsycINFO databases from inception to January 2021. Study Selection Only observational studies were included, and there were no restrictions on age, racial group, or country. Two reviewers selected the articles independently. Data Extraction Data were extracted independently by 2 reviewers. The assessment of methodological quality was conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results All studies retrieved were conducted among the US population. Nineteen studies were included. On average, the studies showed a methodological quality of 66%. Forty-six associations were evaluated: 38 between PRD and negative eating habits, 29 between PRD and eating behavior, and 17 between PRD and food consumption. Conclusions PRD negatively affects eating habits. A conceptual framework based on ecosocial theory is suggested as a guide for future research. Further studies in different countries (beyond the United States) should be conducted to understand how racial discrimination affects eating habits within different ethnic, cultural, social, and economic contexts. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO registration no. CRD42019142605

Educational inequality in consumption of in natura or minimally processed foods and ultra-processed foods: The intersection between sex and race/skin color in Brazil

“…Data from the Brazilian Household Budget Surveys 2017-2018, show that ultra-processed foods already contribute about one-fifth (19.7%) of the calories consumed by Brazilians, and that the consumption of some ultra-processed foods, such as instant noodles and reconstituted meat products, is more frequent in the lowest income quartiles of the population ( 12 ). In addition to the economic factor, food consumption can be influenced by other issues such as cultural, ethnic, and perceived racial discrimination ( 14 , 42 ).…”

“…Brown men and women have lower regular consumption of fruits and vegetables compared to their White counterparts, and Black/Brown men have a higher regular consumption of beans when compared to White men ( 13 ). However, these comparisons between sex-skin color groups have not properly considered differences in socioeconomic level ( 13 , 14 ). Socioeconomic inequalities observed in Brazil may interact and overlap with the race/color and sex dimensions ( 15 ).…”

The role of discrimination and adverse childhood experiences in disordered eating

“…Ethnic/racial, sexual, and gender minority groups all have higher rates of EDs when compared to their non-minoritized counterparts [ 10 , 11 ]. Studies have found that racial discrimination [ 12 , 13 ], gender and sexual discrimination [ 4 ], and weight-based discrimination [ 14 ] are related to higher ED pathology among marginalized groups.…”

“…Similarly, discrimination may elicit a psychological stress response that can result in negative emotions (e.g. anxiety [ 13 , 26 ]). ACEs and discrimination may also be linked to ED pathology through maladaptive beliefs about oneself or one’s body.…”

A South Asian Mediterranean‐style diet is associated with favorable adiposity measures and lower diabetes risk: The MASALA cohort

“…We further adjusted for education level, family income, number of years lived in the United States, physical activity, perception of discrimination, the traditional cultural beliefs scale, tobacco pack years of smoking, family history of diabetes (parents and siblings), use of diabetes medication, cholesterol-lowering medication, and hypertension medication in model 2. Based on prior literature, we hypothesized a priori that measures of discrimination and cultural beliefs could confound our associations of interest[20,[22][23][24].Finally, because these associations could potentially be mediated by BMI, we adjusted for it separately in model 3. For all linear models, results are presented as the unit change (or percentage change for log-transformed variables) in outcome per 1-unit increase in SAMT A B L E 2 eNote: All values are presented as β (SE) per 1-unit increase in SAM score.…”