Racial/ethnic disparities in obesity among US-born and foreign-born adults by sex and education.
This study examines sex and education variations in obesity among US- and foreign-born whites, blacks, and Hispanics utilizing 1997-2005 data from the National Health Interview Survey on 267,585 adults aged > or =18 years. After adjusting for various demographic, health, and socioeconomic factors via logistic regression, foreign-born black men had the lowest odds for obesity relative to US-born white men. The largest racial/ethnic disparity in obesity was between US-born black and white women. High educational attainment diminished the US-born black-white and Hispanic-white disparities among women, increased these disparities among men, and had minimal effect on foreign-born Hispanic-white disparities among women and men. Comprehension of these relationships is vital for conducting effective obesity research and interventions within an increasingly diverse United States.
Barrington
Debbie S
DS
Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA. db2299@columbia.edu
Baquero
Maria C
MC
Borrell
Luisa N
LN
Crawford
Natalie D
ND
D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education*; D004522:Educational Status; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000193:education*