title: State-Issued Identification Cards Reveal Patterns in Adult Weight Status.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  State-issued identification cards are a promising data source for neighborhood-level obesity estimates.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used information from three million Oregon state-issued identification cards to compute age-adjusted estimates of average adult body mass index (BMI) for each census tract in the state. We used multivariate linear regression to identify associations between weight status and population characteristics, food access, commuting behavior, and geography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Together, home values, education, race, ethnicity, car commuting, and rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) explained 86% of the variation in BMI among tracts. BMI was lower in areas with higher home values and greater educational attainment, and higher in areas with more workers commuting by car.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings are consistent with other research on socioeconomic disparities in obesity. This demonstrates state-issued identification cards are a promising data source for BMI surveillance and may offer new insight into the association between weight status and economic and environmental factors. Public health agencies should explore options for developing their own obesity estimates from identification card data.
authors.affiliation: School of Community Health, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA. dmorris@pdx.edu.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division, Portland, OR 97232, USA. eric.c.main@state.or.us.
authors.forename: Eric C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Main
authors.affiliation: George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, MO 63119, USA. harrisj@wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Jenine K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: School of Community Health, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA. abe.moland@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moland
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division, Portland, OR 97232, USA. Curtis.g.cude@state.or.us.
authors.forename: Curtis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cude
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009922:Oregon; D062486:Public Health Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011996:Records; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: BMI (Body Mass Index); driver card; driver license; identification card; obesity; surveillance