Cumulative adversity of perceived discrimination on abdominal fat accumulation over a nine-year period

Background: Results from cross-sectional studies suggest that the salience of race-related beliefs and experiences may be related to excess body fat accumulation.

Methods: Using the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) study, this study examines whether perceived discrimination measured in 1995 and in 2004 is associated with the change in waist circumference during this period. The sample consisted of 1389 White and 118 non-White participants (age 20-74 yrs) that participated in both waves. Waist circumference, an aggregate measurement of total and abdominal fat accumulation, is considered to be superior for assessing abdominal adiposity because of its high correlation with visceral adiposity and high predictive value for subclinical metabolic disease. Using nine items, the perceived discrimination scale assessed the occurrence and frequency with which individuals encounter routine and relatively minor experiences of unfair treatment. Ordinary least squares regression methods were used to estimate associations between changes in experiences of discrimination and change in waist circumference before and after adjustment for individual covariates.

Results: Waist circumference increased an average of 5.3 cm in the full sample over the nine-year period. Respondents that consistently experienced higher levels of discrimination experienced a growth in their waist circumference of 2.3 cm (p < 0.05) when compared to those that experienced consistently low levels of discrimination over the same period, adjusting for age, sex, socioeconomic status and behavioral risk factors associated excess body fat accumulation.

Conclusion: Consistently high levels of perceived discrimination is associated with an increase in waist circumference over a nine-year period.