A structural invariance analysis of the acceptance model of intuitive eating across black, hispanic, and white young-adult women

Abstract

In this cross-sectional study, structural invariance of the acceptance model of intuitive eating was examined between a sample of Black (n = 420), Hispanic (n = 420), and White (n = 435) cisgender women between the ages of 18-30 years old residing in the United States. Mean age for the total sample (n = 1275) was 24.17 years old (SD = 3.65). Women were recruited via Qualtrics Sampling, and self-report measures were administered online. Multigroup analyses were employed within a structural equation modeling framework, and measurement invariance at the configural, metric, scalar, and strict/residual levels was investigated first. After uncovering and accounting for several error variances that were non-invariant, multigroup structural invariance analyses indicated that paths within the model were invariant across the three ethnicities of women. BMI was also incorporated into the model, which, likewise, showed invariance in its associations with specific constructs. With due cautions related to the impact of cultural ideals regarding appearance and the interplay of ethnicity and body-related experiences among women, these results provide preliminary evidence that the model may apply to Black, White, and Hispanic women in the U.S.

Keywords: Body appreciation; Body functionality appreciation; Ethnicity; Intuitive eating; Positive body image; Women.