Income Inequality, Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in U.S. Men 20 Years and Older: 1999 to 2016
Obesity is a significant public health problem globally and within the United States. It varies by multiple factors, including but not limited to income. The literature indicates little evidence of the association between income and obesity. We examined the association between income and obesity in...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2022-10-01
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| Series: | American Journal of Men's Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883221123852 |
| _version_ | 1797991755980734464 |
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| author | Hossein Zare Danielle R. Gilmore Nicholas S. Meyerson Roland J. Thorpe |
| author_facet | Hossein Zare Danielle R. Gilmore Nicholas S. Meyerson Roland J. Thorpe |
| author_sort | Hossein Zare |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Obesity is a significant public health problem globally and within the United States. It varies by multiple factors, including but not limited to income. The literature indicates little evidence of the association between income and obesity. We examined the association between income and obesity in U.S. adult men ages 20 years and older and tested racial and ethnic differences. We used data from the 1999 to 2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for analyses. Obesity was determined using body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 . We used poverty income ratio (PIR) as a proxy for income and calculated the Gini coefficient (GC) to measure income inequality. We then categorized low-, medium-, and high PIR to examine the relationship between income inequality and obesity. We used Modified Poisson regression in a sample of 17,238 adult men, including 9,511 White Non-Hispanic White (NHW), 4,166 Non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and 3,561 Mexican Americans (MA). We controlled the models for age category, racial and ethnic groups, marital status, education, health behaviors, health insurance coverage, self-reported health, comorbidity, and household structure. Results of our adjusted models suggested a positive and significant association between PIR and obesity among NHWs and NHBs in medium and high PIR; this association was not significant in MAs. Results of our analyses using GC in obese men indicate that compared with NHWs (GC: 0.306, SE: 0.004), MAs (GC: 0.368, SE: 0.005), and NHBs (GC: 0.328, SE: 0.005) had experienced higher-income inequality. In treating obesity, policymakers should consider race/ethnicity strategies to reduce inequality in income. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T08:57:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-784ba9615a9544f893e5c97d20f36bd9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1557-9891 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T08:57:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | American Journal of Men's Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-784ba9615a9544f893e5c97d20f36bd92022-12-22T04:33:09ZengSAGE PublishingAmerican Journal of Men's Health1557-98912022-10-011610.1177/15579883221123852Income Inequality, Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in U.S. Men 20 Years and Older: 1999 to 2016Hossein Zare0Danielle R. Gilmore1Nicholas S. Meyerson2Roland J. Thorpe3The School of Business, University of Maryland Global Campus, Adelphi, MD, USADepartment of Health, Behavior, and Society Program for Research on Men’s Health, Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USADepartment of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USADepartment of Health, Behavior, and Society Program for Research on Men’s Health, Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USAObesity is a significant public health problem globally and within the United States. It varies by multiple factors, including but not limited to income. The literature indicates little evidence of the association between income and obesity. We examined the association between income and obesity in U.S. adult men ages 20 years and older and tested racial and ethnic differences. We used data from the 1999 to 2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for analyses. Obesity was determined using body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 . We used poverty income ratio (PIR) as a proxy for income and calculated the Gini coefficient (GC) to measure income inequality. We then categorized low-, medium-, and high PIR to examine the relationship between income inequality and obesity. We used Modified Poisson regression in a sample of 17,238 adult men, including 9,511 White Non-Hispanic White (NHW), 4,166 Non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and 3,561 Mexican Americans (MA). We controlled the models for age category, racial and ethnic groups, marital status, education, health behaviors, health insurance coverage, self-reported health, comorbidity, and household structure. Results of our adjusted models suggested a positive and significant association between PIR and obesity among NHWs and NHBs in medium and high PIR; this association was not significant in MAs. Results of our analyses using GC in obese men indicate that compared with NHWs (GC: 0.306, SE: 0.004), MAs (GC: 0.368, SE: 0.005), and NHBs (GC: 0.328, SE: 0.005) had experienced higher-income inequality. In treating obesity, policymakers should consider race/ethnicity strategies to reduce inequality in income.https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883221123852 |
| spellingShingle | Hossein Zare Danielle R. Gilmore Nicholas S. Meyerson Roland J. Thorpe Income Inequality, Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in U.S. Men 20 Years and Older: 1999 to 2016 American Journal of Men's Health |
| title | Income Inequality, Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in U.S. Men 20 Years and Older: 1999 to 2016 |
| title_full | Income Inequality, Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in U.S. Men 20 Years and Older: 1999 to 2016 |
| title_fullStr | Income Inequality, Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in U.S. Men 20 Years and Older: 1999 to 2016 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Income Inequality, Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in U.S. Men 20 Years and Older: 1999 to 2016 |
| title_short | Income Inequality, Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in U.S. Men 20 Years and Older: 1999 to 2016 |
| title_sort | income inequality race ethnicity and obesity in u s men 20 years and older 1999 to 2016 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883221123852 |
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