Changes in Waist Circumference and Body Mass Index in the US CARDIA Cohort: Fixed-Effects Associations with Self-Reported Experiences of Racial/Ethnic Discrimination
Authors
Cunningham, Timothy J.Berkman, Lisa F.
Kawachi, Ichiro
Jacobs, David R. Jr.
Seeman, Teresa E.
Kiefe, Catarina I.
Gortmaker, Steven L.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Quantitative Health SciencesDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2013-03-01Keywords
African AmericansBody Mass Index
European Continental Ancestry Group
Prejudice
Racism
Epidemiologic Factors
Waist Circumference
UMCCTS funding
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms
Biostatistics
Epidemiology
Health Services Research
Race and Ethnicity
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Prior studies examining the association between self-reported experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination and obesity have had mixed results and primarily been cross-sectional. This study tests the hypothesis that an increase in self-reported experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination predicts gains in waist circumference and body mass index in Black and White women and men over eight years. In race/ethnicity- and gender-stratified models, this study examined whether change in self-reported experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination predicts changes in waist circumference and body mass index over time using a fixed-effects regression approach in SAS statistical software, providing control for both measured and unmeasured time-invariant covariates. Between 1992-93 and 2000-01, self-reported experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination decreased among 843 Black women (75% to 73%), 601 Black men (80% to 77%), 893 White women (30% to 23%) and 856 White men (28% to 23%). In fixed-effects regression models, controlling for all time-invariant covariates, social desirability bias, and changes in education and parity (women only) over time, an increase in self-reported experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination over time was significantly associated with an increase in waist circumference (beta=1.09, 95% CI: 0.00-2.19, p=0.05) and an increase in body mass index (beta=0.67, 95% CI: 0.19-1.16, p=0.007) among Black women. No associations were observed among Black men and White women and men. These findings suggest that an increase in self-reported experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination may be associated with increases in waist circumference and body mass index among Black women over time.Source
Cunningham TJ, Berkman LF, Kawachi I, Jacobs DR Jr, Seeman TE, Kiefe CI, Gortmaker SL. Changes in waist circumference and body mass index in the US CARDIA cohort: fixed-effects associations with self-reported experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination. J Biosoc Sci. 2013 Mar;45(2):267-78. doi:10.1017/S0021932012000429. Link to article on publisher's site
DOI
10.1017/S0021932012000429Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/46544PubMed ID
22856616Related Resources
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1017/S0021932012000429