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Title: Black-White Disparities in Overweight and Obesity Trends by Educational Attainment in the United States, 1997-2008
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2013
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Abstract: Background: Although racial and educational disparities in obesity are well established, few studies have examined recent population-based trends. Methods: We analyzed data of a nationally-representative sample of 174,228 (31,878 Black and 142,350 White) US-born adults participating in the National Health Interview Survey from 1997 to 2008. We determined trends in mean Body Mass Index (BMI) by educational attainment and race and Black-White prevalence ratios for overweight/obesity (BMI>25 kg/m2) using adjusted Poisson regression with robust variance. Results: From 1997-2008, mean BMI increased by at least 1 kg/m2 in all race-sex groups, and appeared to increase at a faster pace among Whites. Blacks with greater than a high school education had a consistently higher BMI over time than Whites in both women (28.3 0.14 to 29.7 0.18 kg/m2 vs. 25.8 0.58 to 26.5 0.08 kg/m2) and men (28.1 0.17 kg/m2 to 29.0 0.20 vs. 27.1 0.04 kg/m2 to 28.1 0.06 kg/m2). For participants of all levels of educational attainment, age-adjusted overweight/obesity was greater by 44% (95%CI: 1.42 -1.46) in Black vs. White women and 2% (95%CI: 1.01 -1.04) in Black vs. White men. Among those with greater than a high school education, prevalence of overweight/obesity was much greater (PR 1.52; 95%CI: 1.49 -1.55) in Black vs. White women, but only slightly greater (PR 1.07; 95%CI: 1.05 -1.09) in Black vs. White men.Conclusions: BMI increased steadily in all race-sex and education groups (albeit at a faster pace for Whites) from 1997 to 2008, and Blacks (particularly women) had a consistently higher BMI than their White counterparts. Overweight/obesity trends and racial disparities were more prominent among individuals with higher levels of educational attainment, compared to their counterparts with lower levels of educational attainment.
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Authors: Szklo, Moyses; Thorpe, Roland; Wang, Nae-Yuh; Dray-Spira, Rosemary; Yeh, Hsin-Chieh; Jackson, Chandra L.
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University
Data Collections: IPUMS Health Surveys - NHIS
Topics: Education, Health, Race and Ethnicity
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