 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Amelia R. Gavin, MSW, MPP1, Kristine Siefert, PhD, MPH2, Julia F. Hastings, MSW, PhD1, and David Williams, PhD3. (1) School of Social Work, University of Michigan, 1080 South University, Room B660, Ann Arbor, MI 49109-1106, 734-615-2104, gavina@umich.edu, (2) NIMH Research Center on Poverty, Risk, and Mental Health, The University of Michigan, 1080 S. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, (3) Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson St. Rm 2230, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248
Obesity is highly prevalent among African American women, and is associated with significant adverse health consequences. However, little attention has been given to the relationship between obesity and mental health, particularly among African American women. Moreover, few studies examine race and obesity while controlling for socioeconomic status, even though SES has been associated with both obesity and race (Carpenter 2000). To remedy this, we analyzed data on 4,920 African American respondents from the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey, a stratified, systematic sample of mothers who gave birth in 1988. Regression analysis showed that obesity is associated with depressive symptoms among African American women, adjusting for age, education, household income, number of children in the household, marital status, alcohol use, smoking, and amount of exercise. Additional analyses suggest that obesity is one of the strongest predictors of depressive symptoms, while smoking, a well-known risk factor of depression, was not associated with depressive symptoms among African American women, adjusting for covariates. In a climate of state and federal budget cuts, these findings indicate that social workers need to be aware of the possibility of depression in this population, as well as the need for social services aimed at reducing obesity-related health disparities. Learning objectives: 1. Recognize the contribution of obesity to health disparities in poor African American women. 2. Describe the relationships between obesity, depression and health behaviors in a national sample of African American women. 3. Discuss the impact of state and federal budget cuts on reducing obesity-related health disparities.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: African American, Obesity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.