title: Differences in Obesity Rates Among Minority and White Women: The Latent Role of Maternal Stress.
abstract: White and minority women experience different rates of obesity in the United States. Yet our understanding of the dynamics that give rise to this gap remains limited. This article presents a conceptual framework that considers pathways leading to these different rates. It draws upon the life-course perspective, allostatic load, and the weathering hypothesis to identify pathways linking childbearing, stress, and obesity. This conceptual framework extends prior work by identifying age at first birth as an important parameter that influences these pathways. Empirical evidence to test these pathways is needed.
authors.forename: Loral
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Patchen
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rebok
authors.forename: Nan M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Astone
mesh_terms: D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D036801:Parturition / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D043762:Reproductive Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: health disparities; public health and nutrition