Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Community Influence on Adolescent Obesity: Race/Ethnic Differences

  • Published:
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Using a sample of 20,000 adolescents (Add Health data), this study examined the influences of community poverty and race/ethnicity on adolescent obesity. Multilevel analyses revealed strong evidence for the unique influences of community poverty and race/ethnicity on adolescent obesity net of family characteristics. The prevalence of obesity is significantly higher in poor communities than in affluent communities; and it is higher among African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans than among Whites. The interaction between race/ethnicity and community poverty indicates that race/ethnicity moderates the influence of community poverty on the prevalence of obesity. Although the prevalence of obesity is higher among minorities than among Whites, the influence of community poverty is stronger for Whites than for minorities, suggesting that unlike Whites, most minority groups may not accrue benefits of structural community advantages. The state of being overweight as the outcome variable provided essentially the same findings. The practical implications are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Acton, K. J., Burrows, N. R., Moore, K., and Querec, L. (2002). Trends in diabetes prevalence among American Indian and Alaska native children, adolescents, and young adults. Am. J. Public Health 92: 1485.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Allison, D. B., and Pi-Sunyer, F. X. (1995). Obesity treatment. New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, J., et al. (2003). Coexistence of social inequalities in under nutrition and obesity in preschool children population based cross sectional study. Arch. Dis. Child 88: 671–675.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Auchincloss, A. H., and Hadden, W. (2002). The health effects of rural-urban residence and concentrated poverty. J. Rural Health 18(2), 319–336.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Auge, K. (2003). Obesity's effects vary by race, studies show. The Denver Post, A-01. January, 8

  • Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baum, C. G., and Forehand, R. (1984). Social factors associated with adolescent obesity. J. Pediatr. Psychol. 9(3): 293–302.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berg, F. M. (1993). Health risks of obesity (2nd edn.). Hettinger, ND: Graphic Designs and Printing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Black, S. A. (2002). Diabetes, diversity, and disparity: What do we do with the evidence? Am. J. Public Health 92(4): 543–548.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blazer, D. G., Moody-Ayers, S., Craft-Morgan, J., and Burchett, B. (2002). Depression in diabetes and obesity, racial/ethnic/gender issues in older adults. J. Psychosom. Res. 53: 91–916.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks-Gunn, J., Duncan, G. J., Klebanov, P. K., and Sealand, N. (1993). Do neighborhood influence child and adolescent development? Am. J. Sociol. 99: 353–395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouchard, C. (2000). Physical activity and obesity. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • British nutritional foundation. (1999). Obesity: The report of the British nutrition foundation task force. Oxford, England: Blackwell Science Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Browning, C. R., and Cagney, K. A., (2004). Moving beyond poverty: Neighborhood structure, social processes, and health. J. Health Soc. Behav. 44: 552–571.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carrol, G. (1998). Mundane extreme environmental stress and African American Families: A case for recognizing different realities. J. Comp. Fam. Stud. 29(2): 271–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Center for disease control. (2003). Black or African American populations. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/omh/populations/BAA/BAA.htm#4.

  • Coile, R. C., Jr. (2001). Competing in a consumer choice market. J. Healthc. Manag. 465(5): 297–300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cristol, H. (2003). Predicting obesity. The Futurist 37(1): 10–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crosnoe, R., and Muller, R. (2005). Body Mass Index, Academic Achievement and School Context: Examining the Educational Experience of Adolescents at Risk of Obesity. J. Health and Soc. Behav. 45: 393–407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, G. J., Brooks-Gunn, J., and Klebanov, P. (1994). Economic deprivation and early childhood development. Child Dev. 65: 296–318.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, G. J., Connell, J. P., and Klebanov, P. K. (1997). Conceptual and methodological issues in estimating causal effects of neighborhoods and family conditions on individual development. In J. Brooks-Gunn, G. J. Duncan, and J. L. Aber (eds.). Neighborhood poverty: Contextual and consequences for children. New York: Russel Sage (pp. 219–250).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, K. F. and Kelly-Moore, J. A. (2003). Cumulative disadvantage and health: Long-term consequences of obesity. Am. Sociol. Rev. 68: 702–729.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgivvon, M. L., Spring, B., Avellone, M. E., Blackman, L. R., Pingitore, R., and Stolley, M. R. (1997). Correlates of binge eating in Hispanic, Black, and White Women. Int. J. Eat. Disord. 24: 43–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gordon-Larsen, P., McMurray, R. G., and Popkin, B. M. (1999). Adolescent physical activity and inactivity vary by ethnicity: The national longitudinal study of adolescent health. J. Pediatr. 135(3): 301–306.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, G. A. (1995). Where do shared pathways lead? Some reflections on a research agenda. Psychosom. Med. 57: 208–212.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karlsen, S., and Nazroo, J. Y. (2002). Relation between racial discrimination, social class, and health among ethnic minority groups. Am. J. Public Health 92(4): 624–631.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kawachi, I., and Berkman, L. F., (2000). Social cohesion, social capital, and health In: L. F. Berkman and I. Kawachi (Eds.), Social Epidemiology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kowaleski-Jones, L. (2000). Staying out of trouble: Community resource and problem behavior among high-risk adolescents. J. Marriage Fam. 62: 449–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krivo, L. J., and Petterson, R. (2000). The structural context of homicide: Accounting for racial differences in process. Am. Sociol. Rev. 65: 547–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuczmarski, R. J., Flegal, K. M., Campbell, S. M., and Johnson, C. L. (1994). Increasing prevalence of overweight among U.S. adults: The national health and nutrition examination surveys, 1960 to 1991. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 272: 205–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lau, R. R., Quadrel, J. M., and Hartman, A. K. (1990). Development and change of young adults’ preventive health beliefs and behavior: Influence from parents and peers. J. Health Soc. Behav. 31: 240–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Little, R. C., Milliken, G. A., Stroup, W. W., and Wolfinger, R. D. (1996). SAS System for mixed models. NC: SAS Institute Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maes, H. H. M., Neale, M. C., and Eaves, L. J. (1997). Genetic and environmental factors in relative body weight and human adiposity. Behav. Genet. 27: 325–351.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Massey, D. S. (1998). Back to future: The rediscovery of neighborhood context. Contemp. Sociol. 27: 570–572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mays, M. V., Yancey, A. K., Cochran, S. D., Weber, M., and Fielding, J. E. (2002). Heterogeneity of health disparities among African American, Hispanic, and Asian American Women: Unrecognized influences of sexual orientation. Am. J. Public Health 92(4): 632–639.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meyers, I. H. (1993). Prejudice and pride: Minority stress and mental health in gay men. Doctoral dissertation, Division of Sociomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY.

  • Morland, K., Wing, S., Roux, A. D., and Poole, C. (2002). Neighborhood characteristics associated with the location of food stores and food service places. Am. J. Prev. Med. 22(1): 23–29.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ogden, C. L., Flegal, K. M., Carrol, M. D., and Johnson, C. L. (2002). Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999–2000. JAMA 288: 1728–1732.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perrin, F. V. (1991). Diabetes hits Hispanics hard: Pharmacists can help. Drug topics 135(1): 13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pine, D. S., Cohen, P., Brook, J., and Coplan, J. D. (1997). Psychiatric symptoms in adolescence as predictors of obesity in early adulthood: A longitudinal study. Am. J. Public Health 87(8).

  • Raudenbush, S. W., and Bryk, S. A. (2002). Hierarchical linear models. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, J. M., Vaccarino, V., Zhang, H., and Kasl, S. V. (2001). Socioeconomic status and type 2 diabetes of African American and non-Hispanic White Women and Men: Evidence from the third national healthy and nutrition examination survey. Am. J. Public Health 91(1): 76–83.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. E., and Mirowsky, J. (2001). Neighborhood disadvantage, disorder, and health. J. Health Soc. Behav. 42: 258–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, R. J., Raudenbush, S. W., and Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science 227: 918–923.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanjay, K. (2000). Deprivation and childhood obesity: A cross sectional study of 20973 children in Plymouth, United Kingdom. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 54: 456–460.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, G. D. (2000). Learning to live with complexity: Ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and health in Britain and the United States. Am. J. Public Health. 90(11): 1694–1698.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sorensen, G., Emmons, K., Hunt, M. K., and Johnston, D. (1998). Implications of the results of community intervention trials. Ann. Rev. Public Health 19: 379–416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sobal, J., and Stunkard, A. J. (1989). Socioeconomic status and obesity: a review of the literature. Psychol. Bull. 105:260–275.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • South, S. J., and Kyle Crowder, D. (1999). Neighborhood effects on family formation: Concentrated poverty. Am. Sociol. Rev. 64: 113–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, M. B. (2001). Resiliency and frailty factors associated with the contextual experiences of low resource urban African male youth and families. In A. Booth and A. C. Crouter (Eds.) Does it take a village? Community effects on children, adolescents, and families (pp. 51–77). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Striegel-Moore, H. R., Schreiber, B. G., Lo, A., Crawford, P., Obarzanek, E., and Rodin, J. (2000). Eating disorder symptoms in a cohort of 11 to 16-year-old Black and White girls: The NHLBI growth and health study. Int. J. Eat. Disord. 27(1): 49–66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stunkard, A. J., and Sorenson, T. I. A. (1993). Obesity and socioeconomic status: a complex relation. N. Engl. J. Med. 329: 1036–1037.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sucoff, C. A., and Upchurch, D. M. (1998). Neighborhood context and the risk of childbearing among metropolitan-area Black adolescents. Am. Sociol. Rev. 63: 571–585.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Surgeon General Report. (2001). Overview of cultural diversity and mental health issues: A report of the surgeon General. From www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mental health/chapter2/sec8.

  • Taylor, J., and Turner, P. J. (2002). Perceived discrimination, social stress, and depression in the transition to adulthood: Racial contrasts. Soc. Psychol. Q, 65: 213–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, B., Gibbons, F. X., and Gerrard, M. (2002). Risk perception and prototype perception: Independent processes predicting risk behavior. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 28(7).

  • Tucker, K. L., and Odilia, I. B. (2000). Type 2 diabetes is prevalent and poorly controlled among Hispanic elders of Caribean origin. Am. J. Public Health. 90(8): 1288–1293.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wadden, T. A., Sarwer, D. B., Womble, L. G., Foster, G. D., McGuckin, B. G., and Schimmel, A. (2001). Psychosocial aspects of obesity and obesity surgery. Surg. Clin. North Am. 81(5): 1001–1024.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y. (2001). Cross-national comparison of childhood obesity: The epidemic and the relationships between obesity and socioeconomic status. Int. J. Epidemiol. 30:1129–1136.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., and Pennebaker, J. A. (1989). Health complaints, stress, and distress: Exploring the central role of negative affectivity. Psychol. Rev. 96: 234–254.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wickrama, K. A. S., and Bryant, C. M. (2003). The community context of social resources and adolescent mental health. J. Marriage Fam. 65: 850–866.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wickrama, K. A. S., Conger, R. D., Wallace, L. E., and Elder, G. H., Jr. (1999). The intergenerational transmission of health-risk behaviors: Adolescent lifestyles and gender moderating effects. J. Health and Soc. Behav. 40: 258–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wheaton, B., and Clarke, P. (2003). Past vs. Present Neighborhood Disadvantage and Early Adult Mental Health. Am. Sociol. Rev. 68(5): 680–706.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, A. M., Gortmaker, S. L., Cheung, L., Gray, H. M., Herzog, D. B., and Colditz, G. (1993). Activity, inactivity, and obesity: Racial, ethnic, and age differences among school girls. Am. J. Public Health 83(11): 1625–1627.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Young, L. R., and Nestle, M. (2002). The contribution of expanding portion sizes to the US obesity Epidemic. Am. J. Public Health 92: 246–249.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research is based on data from the Add Health project, a program project designed by J. Richard Udry (PI) and Peter Bearman, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with cooperative funding participation by the National Cancer Institute; the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; the National Institute on Drug Abuse; the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; the National Institute of Mental Health; the National Institute of Nursing Research; the office of AIDS Research, NIH; the Office of Behavior and Social Science Research, NIH; the Office of the Director, NIH; the Office of Research on Women's Health, NIH; the Office of Population Affairs, DHHS; the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DHHS; the Office of Minority Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DHHS; the Office of Minority Health, Office of Public Health and Science, DHHS; the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, DHHS; and the National Science Foundation. Persons interested in obtaining data files from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health should contact Add Health Project, Carolina Population Center, 123 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-3997 (email: addhealth@unc.edu).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    K. A. Thulitha Wickrama MS (doctoral-student) & Chalandra M. Bryant PhD (Associate Professor)

  2. Institute for Social and Behavioral Research, 2625 N. Loop Drive, Suite 500, Ames, Iowa, USA, 50010-8296

    K. A. S. Wickrama Ph.D (Professor)

  3. Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA

    K. A. S. Wickrama Ph.D (Professor)

Authors
  1. K. A. Thulitha Wickrama MS
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. A. S. Wickrama Ph.D
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chalandra M. Bryant PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. A. S. Wickrama Ph.D.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thulitha Wickrama, K.A., Wickrama, K.A.S. & Bryant, C.M. Community Influence on Adolescent Obesity: Race/Ethnic Differences. J Youth Adolescence 35, 641–651 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9050-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9050-9

Key Words

Search

Navigation