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. 2008 Mar;98(3):493-500.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.114025. Epub 2008 Jan 30.

Disentangling the effects of racial and weight discrimination on body mass index and obesity among Asian Americans

Gilbert C Gee  1 , Annie Ro, Amelia Gavin, David T Takeuchi
Affiliations

Disentangling the effects of racial and weight discrimination on body mass index and obesity among Asian Americans

Gilbert C Gee et al. Am J Public Health. 2008 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: We examined whether racial discrimination is associated with increased body mass index (BMI) and obesity among Asian Americans. Further, we explored whether this association strengthens with increasing time in the United States.

Methods: We analyzed data from the 2002 to 2003 National Latino and Asian American Study (n=1956). Regression models tested whether reports of racial discrimination were associated with BMI and obesity, after accounting for weight discrimination, age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, generation, employment, health status, and social desirability bias (the tendency to seek approval by providing the most socially desirable response to a question).

Results: We found that (1) racial discrimination was associated with increased BMI and obesity after we controlled for weight discrimination, social desirability bias, and other factors and (2) the association between racial discrimination and BMI strengthened with increasing time in the United States.

Conclusions: Racial discrimination may be an important factor related to weight gain among ethnic minorities.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
The relationship between racial discrimination and body mass index, among Asian respondents (n = 1956), by years spent in the United States: National Latino and Asian American Study, 2002–2003.
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
The relationship between racial discrimination and years spent in the United States among Asian respondents (n = 1956), by report of discrimination: National Latino and Asian American Study, 2002–2003.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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