title: Exploring racial differences in the obesity gender gap.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether the gender gap in obesity prevalence is greater among U.S. blacks than whites in a study designed to account for racial differences in socioeconomic and environmental conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  We estimated age-adjusted, race-stratified gender gaps in obesity (% female obese - % male obese, defined as body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2)) in the National Health Interview Survey 2003 and the Exploring Health Disparities in Integrated Communities-Southwest Baltimore 2003 study (EHDIC-SWB). EHDIC-SWB is a population-based survey of 1381 adults living in two urban, low-income, racially integrated census tracts with no race difference in income.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the National Health Interview Survey, the obesity gender gap was larger in blacks than whites as follows: 7.7 percentage points (ppts; 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.4-11.9) in blacks versus -1.5 ppts (95% CI: -2.8 to -0.2) in whites. In EHDIC-SWB, the gender gap was similarly large for blacks and whites as follows: 15.3 ppts (95% CI: 8.6-22.0) in blacks versus 14.0 ppts (95% CI: 7.1-20.9) in whites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a racially integrated, low-income urban community, gender gaps in obesity prevalence were similar for blacks and whites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill. Electronic address: seamans@unc.edu.
authors.forename: Marissa J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Seamans
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Whitney R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Roland J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Thorpe
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.affiliation: Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: LaVeist
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology*; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Gender; Health disparities; Obesity; Race; Socioeconomic status