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You are here: Home / Retired Persons / Caryn Bell, Ph.D. / Caryn Bell Publications / Income and Marital Status Interact on Obesity Among Black and White Men

C.N. Bell and R.J. Thorpe (2019)

Income and Marital Status Interact on Obesity Among Black and White Men

American Journal of Men’s Health, 13(1):1-9.

Racial disparities in obesity among men are accompanied by positive associations between income and obesity among Black men only. Race also moderates the positive association between marital status and obesity. This study sought to determine how race, income, and marital status interact on obesity among men. Using data from the 2007 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, obesity was measured as body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 among 6,145 Black and White men. Income was measured by percentage of the federal poverty line and marital status was categorized as currently, formerly, or never married. Using logistic regression and interaction terms, the associations between income and obesity were assessed by race and marital status categories adjusted for covariates. Black compared to White (OR = 1.19, 95% CI [1.03, 1.38]), currently married compared to never married (OR = 1.45, 95% CI [1.24, 1.69]), and high-income men compared to low income men (OR = 1.26, 95% CI [1.06, 1.50]) had higher odds of obesity. A three-way interaction was significant and analyses identified that income was positively associated with obesity among currently married Black men and never married White men with the highest and lowest probabilities of obesity, respectively. High-income, currently married Black men had higher obesity rates and may be at increased risk for obesity-related morbidities.

Bell, Obesity, Marriage, Marital Status, African American, Health, Health in Social Context, Minority
obesity, special populations, behavioral issues, psychosocial and cultural issues, men of color, marriage
PMID: 30767595; First published: February 15, 2019.

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