243685 Disparities in Obesity among People With and Without Disabilities by Race/Ethnicity — United States, 2005—2009

Wednesday, November 2, 2011: 9:00 AM

Ismaila Ramon, MPH , National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Elizabeth Courtney-Long, MA, MSPH , National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Alissa Cyrus, MPH , Ncbddd, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Brian S. Armour, PhD , NCBDDD/DHDD/Disability and Health Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Reports highlighting health disparities often focus on racial and ethnic differences and do not consider disability. However, the prevalence of disability has been shown to be higher among non-Hispanic blacks and American Indians/Alaska Natives (AIAN). Obesity also disproportionately affects various racial and ethnic groups including non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican Americans. The purpose of this study is to estimate differences in obesity prevalence by race/ethnicity and disability. Data from the 2005-2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used to estimate obesity prevalence in adults by race/ethnicity and disability. Data from 2005-2009 were aggregated to provide sufficient power to analyze low-count racial/ethnic populations. Multivariate analyses were used to assess the association between different race/ethnicity groups, disability and obesity. Overall, people with disabilities (PWD) were significantly more likely than people without disabilities (PWOD) to be obese, (35.9% vs. 22.4%, p<0.01). The difference in obesity prevalence between PWD and PWOD persisted across all race/ethnicity groups: non-Hispanic blacks (46.3% vs. 32.7%), AIAN (41.3% vs. 27.5%), Hispanic (37.9% vs. 26.3%), non-Hispanic whites (34.3% vs. 20.9%), Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (NHPI) (28.6% vs. 20.3%) and Asian (18.8% vs. 6.6%). The disparity in obesity between PWD compared to PWOD is present regardless of race/ethnicity. Efforts to reduce obesity disparities among racial and ethnic populations must explicitly include people with disabilities in targeted health promotion services.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Provision of health care to the public

Learning Objectives:
1. Assess the differences in prevalence of obesity by disability status among different race/ethnicity groups. 2. Assess the association between race/ethnicity, disability and obesity after controlling for socio-demographic variables.

Keywords: Disability, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I provide epidemiological and surveillance support to disability and health programs
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.