Journal
OBESITY
Volume 15, Issue 1, Pages 172-181Publisher
NORTH AMER ASSOC STUDY OBESITY
DOI: 10.1038/oby.2007.522
Keywords
blacks/African Americans; race/ethnicity; socioeconomic factors; BMI; weight gain
Categories
Funding
- NCI NIH HHS [3 R01 CA098864-02S1, R25 CA100600-01A1] Funding Source: Medline
- NHLBI NIH HHS [HL 65645] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objective: The elevated prevalence of obesity among U.S. blacks has been attributed to low socioeconomic position (SEP), despite inconsistent empirical findings. It is unclear whether low SEP at various lifecourse stages differentially influences adulthood BMI and BMI change. Research Methods and Procedures: Among 1167 black adults in the Pitt County Study, we examined independent cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between SEP, measured in childhood and adulthood, and BMI and 13-year BMI change. Low vs. high childhood SEP was measured by parental occupation and childhood household deprivation; low vs. high adulthood SEP was assessed by employment status, education, and occupation. Using childhood and adulthood SEP, four lifecourse SEP categories were created: low-low, low-high, high-low, high-high. Results: We found no consistent associations between SEP and BMI or BMI change among men. Among women, we observed the expected inverse association between SEP and BMI at baseline. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, socio-economically advantaged women demonstrated larger 13-year increases in BMI: skilled vs. unskilled parental occupation (6.1 vs. 4.8 kg/m(2), P = 0.04); college-educated vs. < high school (6.2 vs. 4.5 kg/m(2), p = 0.04); white-collar vs. blue-collar job (5.8 vs. 4.8 kg/m(2), P = 0.05); and high-high vs. low-low lifecourse SEP (6.5 vs. 4.6 kg/m(2), p = 0.02). Discussion:For women in this black cohort, lower SEP predicted earlier onset of obesity; however, low SEP was less predictive of BMI increases over time. Our findings demonstrate complex patterns of association between SEP and BMI change among black women.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available