Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #113556

Leslie A. Korenda, MPH, National Center for Health Statistics/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3311 Toledo Road, Room 6413, Hyattsville, MD 20782, 301-458-4081, lkorenda@cdc.gov and Jennifer D. Parker, PhD, Population Epidemiology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782.

Objective: To examine parity and potential determinants of racial disparity in obesity levels among nonpregnant women 40 years or older. Methods: Using the National Health and Nutrition Survey, 1999-02, obesity was defined by World Health Organization body mass index (BMI) categories. Using SUDAAN, linear and ordered logistic regression were used to model the effect of parity and other factors on the association between ethnicity and BMI (normal (<25), overweight (25-29.9), obese (>30)). Results: Among our 2323 women, obesity and parity varied by race; 32.6% (SE 1.9) of non-Hispanic white (N=1266), 51.6% (SE 2.4) of non-Hispanic black (N=477) and 44.1% (SE 3.0) of Mexican American (N=580) were obese, while 48.1% (SE 1.9) of Mexican American women had 4 or more children, compared to 31.2% (SE 2.0) of black and 25.0% (SE 1.5) of white women.. Overall, obese women were more likely to have 4 or more children: 33.7% (SE 1.9). After adjusting for parity, minority women were more likely to be in a higher BMI category than white women: Odds Ratio [95% confidence interval]=2.4[1.9 – 3.1] for black and 1.6 [1.3- 2.1] for Mexican American women. Adjustment for other confounders did not materially change the associations. Similarly unadjusted results from linear regression for continuous BMI changed little after adjusting for parity (black women unadjusted beta = 4.1 [SE 0.4], adjusted = 4.0 [SE 0.5]; Mexican American women unadjusted beta = 2.0 [SE 0.5], adjusted = 1.6 [SE 0.5]). Conclusions: Parity is not a significant contributor to racial differences in obesity among women.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the differences in prevalence of obesity in US women by racial group.
• Identify factors that contribute to the disparity in obesity levels.
• Discuss the advantages of using measured obesity data and a complex national survey.
• Describe how parity affects the racial disparity in obesity in nonpregnant women.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.