title: Overweight and obesity among low-income women in rural West Virginia and urban Los Angeles County.
abstract: We described the prevalence of overweight and obesity among low-income women in rural West Virginia (WV) and urban Los Angeles County (LA County). Both communities participated in the national Communities Putting Prevention to Work program during 2010-2012. In each community, we completed health assessments on adult women recruited from public-sector clinics serving low-income populations. All participants answered survey questions regarding socio-demographics and diets. In both jurisdictions, we assessed obesity using objectively measured height and weight (calculated BMI). As part of each community case study, we performed multivariable regression analyses to describe the relationships between overweight and obesity and selected covariates (e.g., dietary behaviors). Overweight and obesity were prevalent among low-income women from WV (73%, combined) and LA County (67%, combined). In both communities, race and ethnicity appeared to predict the two conditions; however, the associations were not robust. In LA County, for example, African American and Hispanic women were 1.4 times (95% CI=1.12, 1.81) more likely than white women to be overweight and obese. Collectively, these subpopulation health data served as an important guide for further planning of obesity prevention efforts in both communities. These efforts became a part of the subsequent Community Transformation Grants portfolio.
authors.affiliation: Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, 3530 Wilshire Blvd, 8th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010, USA. Electronic address: brrobles@ph.lacounty.gov.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Robles
authors.affiliation: ICF International, 3 Corporate Square, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. Electronic address: stephanie.frost@icfi.com.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frost
authors.affiliation: College of Education and Human Services, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 9102, Morgantown, WV 26506-9102, USA. Electronic address: lumoore@hsc.wvu.edu.
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: ICF International, 3 Corporate Square, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. Electronic address: charris5@icfi.com.
authors.forename: Carole V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: ICF International, 3 Corporate Square, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. Electronic address: abradlyn@icfi.com.
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Bradlyn
authors.affiliation: Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, 3530 Wilshire Blvd, 8th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90010, USA; Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 10880 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1800, Los Angeles, CA 90024-4142, USA. Electronic address: tkuo@ph.lacounty.gov.
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014903:West Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016387:Women's Health; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dietary behaviors; Nutrition interventions; Obesity; Population density; Women's health