Racial differences in obesity between black and white women in the United States, 1986--1994.

Abstract

Obesity and overweight are at an all time high among most social groups in the United States. In particular, the racial gap between black and white women reveal strikingly large differences in prevalence. Research has traditionally examined biological/genetic, cultural, and socioeconomic determinants, but we still do not fully understand this phenomenon. Consequently, this study examines the contribution of psychosocial resources and stressors to racial differences in Body Mass Index (BMI), a measure of obesity. Results from the baseline analysis show that physical activity, informal social integration, education, and income have an inverse association with BMI. Formal social integration, child positive support, financial chronic stress exhibit a positive relationship with BMI. The economically related variables, financial chronic stress, education, and income, have the strongest effect in reducing racial differences in BMI, but even after adjusting for these factors, the race effect remains strong. The longitudinal analysis examines the extent to which psychosocial resources and stressors predict change in BMI, from 1986--1994. Only age and child status have an inverse relationship with change in BMI. Physical activity, financial chronic stress, and friend/relative negative hassles show a positive growth rate with BMI. Overall, the social context, as conceptualized and measured in this study, did not account for much of the racial differences in BMI. Of the variables considered, the economic related variables played the largest role. This may suggest that the economic condition of women must be improved in order for African American women to lower their prevalence of obesity. The findings also suggest that a broader conceptualization of the social context is required for understanding racial differences in BMI. Early life experiences and social experiences over the life course, specifically related to race and gender, may interact with cultural and physiological process to influence a higher BMI among African American women.