Explaining the Female Black-white Obesity Gap: a Decomposition Analysis of Proximal Causes

Overview

Journal Demography

Specialty Public Health

Date 2011 Sep 28

PMID 21948107

Citations 14

Authors

David W Johnston

Wang-Sheng Lee

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

There exist remarkably large differences in body weights and obesity prevalence between black and white women in the United States; and crucially, these differences are a significant contributor to black-white inequalities in health. In this article, we investigate the most proximal explanations for the weight gap: namely, differences in diet and exercise. More specifically, we decompose black-white differences in body mass index and waist-to-height ratio into components reflecting black-white differences in energy intake and energy expenditure. The analysis indicates that overconsumption is much more important than a lack of exercise in explaining the weight gap, which suggests that diet interventions will have to play a fundamental role if the weight gap between black and white women is to decline.

Citing Articles

The Consequences of Social Inequality for the Health and Development of India's Children: The Case of Caste, Sanitation, and Child Height.

LoPalo M, Coffey D, Spears D Soc Justice Res. 2024; 32(3):239-254.

PMID: 38351913 PMC: 10861996. DOI: 10.1007/s11211-019-00323-x.

Geographic differences in the magnitude of black-white disparities in having obesity.

Cohen S, Brown M, Xu F, Nash C, Greaney M Obes Sci Pract. 2023; 9(5):516-528.

PMID: 37810524 PMC: 10551120. DOI: 10.1002/osp4.679.

Perceptions and experiences of appetite awareness training among African-American women who binge eat.

Goode R, Kalarchian M, Craighead L, Conroy M, Gary-Webb T, Bennett E Eat Weight Disord. 2018; 25(2):275-281.

PMID: 30221323 PMC: 6420865. DOI: 10.1007/s40519-018-0577-z.

The Effects of College on Weight: Examining the "Freshman 15" Myth and Other Effects of College Over the Life Cycle.

Baum 2nd C Demography. 2016; 54(1):311-336.

PMID: 27928734 DOI: 10.1007/s13524-016-0530-6.

Dietary carbohydrate intake, insulin resistance and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a pilot study in European- and African-American obese women.

Pointer S, Rickstrew J, Slaughter J, Vaezi M, Silver H Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2016; 44(9):976-988.

PMID: 27582035 PMC: 5048546. DOI: 10.1111/apt.13784.

References

Goldberg G, Black A, Jebb S, Cole T, Murgatroyd P, Coward W . Critical evaluation of energy intake data using fundamental principles of energy physiology: 1. Derivation of cut-off limits to identify under-recording. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1991; 45(12):569-81. View

Morris S . Body mass index and occupational attainment. J Health Econ. 2005; 25(2):347-64. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2005.09.005. View

Lee C, Huxley R, Wildman R, Woodward M . Indices of abdominal obesity are better discriminators of cardiovascular risk factors than BMI: a meta-analysis. J Clin Epidemiol. 2008; 61(7):646-53. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2007.08.012. View

Weinsier R, Hunter G, Heini A, Goran M, Sell S . The etiology of obesity: relative contribution of metabolic factors, diet, and physical activity. Am J Med. 1998; 105(2):145-50. DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9343(98)00190-9. View

Burkhauser R, Cawley J . Beyond BMI: the value of more accurate measures of fatness and obesity in social science research. J Health Econ. 2008; 27(2):519-29. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2007.05.005. View

Gannon B, Dipietro L, Poehlman E . Do African Americans have lower energy expenditure than Caucasians?. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2000; 24(1):4-13. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0801115. View

Ogden C, Carroll M, Curtin L, McDowell M, Tabak C, Flegal K . Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999-2004. JAMA. 2006; 295(13):1549-55. DOI: 10.1001/jama.295.13.1549. View

Nielsen S, Adair L . An alternative to dietary data exclusions. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007; 107(5):792-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2007.02.003. View

Ness A, Leary S, Mattocks C, Blair S, Reilly J, Wells J . Objectively measured physical activity and fat mass in a large cohort of children. PLoS Med. 2007; 4(3):e97. PMC: 1831734. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0040097. View

10.

Baker E, Schootman M, Barnidge E, Kelly C . The role of race and poverty in access to foods that enable individuals to adhere to dietary guidelines. Prev Chronic Dis. 2006; 3(3):A76. PMC: 1636719. View

11.

Nielsen S, Popkin B . Patterns and trends in food portion sizes, 1977-1998. JAMA. 2003; 289(4):450-3. DOI: 10.1001/jama.289.4.450. View

12.

Weyer C, Snitker S, Bogardus C, Ravussin E . Energy metabolism in African Americans: potential risk factors for obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999; 70(1):13-20. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/70.1.13. View

13.

Macdiarmid J, Blundell J . Assessing dietary intake: Who, what and why of under-reporting. Nutr Res Rev. 2008; 11(2):231-53. DOI: 10.1079/NRR19980017. View

14.

Fitzgibbon M, Blackman L, Avellone M . The relationship between body image discrepancy and body mass index across ethnic groups. Obes Res. 2001; 8(8):582-9. DOI: 10.1038/oby.2000.75. View

15.

Flegal K, Graubard B, Williamson D, Gail M . Excess deaths associated with underweight, overweight, and obesity. JAMA. 2005; 293(15):1861-7. DOI: 10.1001/jama.293.15.1861. View

16.

Flynn K, Fitzgibbon M . Body images and obesity risk among black females: a review of the literature. Ann Behav Med. 1998; 20(1):13-24. DOI: 10.1007/BF02893804. View

17.

Mokdad A, Ford E, Bowman B, Dietz W, Vinicor F, Bales V . Prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and obesity-related health risk factors, 2001. JAMA. 2002; 289(1):76-9. DOI: 10.1001/jama.289.1.76. View

18.

Heini A, Weinsier R . Divergent trends in obesity and fat intake patterns: the American paradox. Am J Med. 1997; 102(3):259-64. DOI: 10.1016/S0002-9343(96)00456-1. View

19.

Mifflin M, St Jeor S, Hill L, Scott B, Daugherty S, Koh Y . A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990; 51(2):241-7. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/51.2.241. View

20.

Fontaine K, Redden D, Wang C, Westfall A, Allison D . Years of life lost due to obesity. JAMA. 2003; 289(2):187-93. DOI: 10.1001/jama.289.2.187. View