BACKGROUND: Because obesity has become a major public health problem, attention to a range of its predictors is needed. This study examined the association of physical factors, personal characteristics, and substance use with obesity in a sample (N = 815) of African American and Puerto Rican young adults with a mean age of 32. METHODS: Body mass index (BMI) was calculated to assess obesity. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Bivariate analyses showed that protective factors such as physical activity (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = .82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = .74-.91), healthy diet (AOR = .96, 95% CI = .93-.99), self-control (AOR = .93, 95% CI = .87-.98), and life satisfaction (AOR = .97, 95% CI = .95-.99) were associated with a reduced probability of being obese. Marijuana use was also associated with a decreased probability of obesity (AOR = .89, 95% CI = .80-.99), but was not considered a protective factor. Risk factors such as short sleep duration (AOR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.24-2.33) and depressive mood (AOR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01-1.09) were associated with an increased probability of being obese. CONCLUSIONS: For African Americans and Puerto Ricans, programs to treat obesity should focus on increasing sleep, physical activity, and life satisfaction.
BACKGROUND: Because obesity has become a major public health problem, attention to a range of its predictors is needed. This study examined the association of physical factors, personal characteristics, and substance use with obesity in a sample (N = 815) of African American and Puerto Rican young adults with a mean age of 32. METHODS: Body mass index (BMI) was calculated to assess obesity. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Bivariate analyses showed that protective factors such as physical activity (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = .82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = .74-.91), healthy diet (AOR = .96, 95% CI = .93-.99), self-control (AOR = .93, 95% CI = .87-.98), and life satisfaction (AOR = .97, 95% CI = .95-.99) were associated with a reduced probability of being obese. Marijuana use was also associated with a decreased probability of obesity (AOR = .89, 95% CI = .80-.99), but was not considered a protective factor. Risk factors such as short sleep duration (AOR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.24-2.33) and depressive mood (AOR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01-1.09) were associated with an increased probability of being obese. CONCLUSIONS: For African Americans and Puerto Ricans, programs to treat obesity should focus on increasing sleep, physical activity, and life satisfaction.
Authors: J S Tolstrup; B L Heitmann; A M Tjønneland; O K Overvad; T I A Sørensen; M N Grønbaek Journal: Int J Obes (Lond) Date: 2005-05 Impact factor: 5.095
Authors: James E Gangwisch; Steven B Heymsfield; Bernadette Boden-Albala; Ruud M Buijs; Felix Kreier; Thomas G Pickering; Andrew G Rundle; Gary K Zammit; Dolores Malaspina Journal: Hypertension Date: 2006-04-03 Impact factor: 10.190