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Life-course socioeconomic position and obesity in African American women: The Pitt County study

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  • James, S.A.
  • Fowler-Brown, A.
  • Raghunathan, T.E.
  • Van Hoewyk, J.

Abstract

Objectives. We studied obesity in African American women in relationship to their socioeconomic position (SEP) in childhood and adulthood. Methods. On the basis of 'parents' occupation, we classified 679 women in the Pitt County (North Carolina) Study into low and high childhood SEP. Women's education, occupation, employment status, and home ownership were used to classify them into low and high adulthood SEP. Four life-course SEP categories resulted: low childhood/low adulthood, low childhood/high adulthood, high childhood/low adulthood, and high childhood/high adulthood. Results. The odds of obesity were twice as high among women from low versus high childhood SEP backgrounds, and 25% higher among women of low versus high adulthood SEP. Compared to that in women of high SEP in both childhood and adulthood, the odds of obesity doubled for low/low SEP women, were 55% higher for low/high SEP women, and were comparable for high/low SEP women. Conclusions. Socioeconomic deprivation in childhood was a strong predictor of adulthood obesity in this community sample of African American women. Findings are consistent with both critical period and cumulative burden models of life-course socioeconomic deprivation and long-term risk for obesity in African American women.

Suggested Citation

  • James, S.A. & Fowler-Brown, A. & Raghunathan, T.E. & Van Hoewyk, J., 2006. "Life-course socioeconomic position and obesity in African American women: The Pitt County study," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(3), pages 554-560.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2004.053447_4
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.053447
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    1. Jeroen Waal & Stijn Daenekindt & Willem Koster, 2017. "Statistical challenges in modelling the health consequences of social mobility: the need for diagonal reference models," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 62(9), pages 1029-1037, December.
    2. Chaparro, M.P. & Koupil, Ilona, 2014. "The impact of parental educational trajectories on their adult offspring's overweight/obesity status: A study of three generations of Swedish men and women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 199-207.
    3. Walsemann, Katrina M. & Goosby, Bridget J. & Farr, Deeonna, 2016. "Life course SES and cardiovascular risk: Heterogeneity across race/ethnicity and gender," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 147-155.
    4. Suzy Newton & Dejana Braithwaite & Tomi F Akinyemiju, 2017. "Socio-economic status over the life course and obesity: Systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(5), pages 1-15, May.
    5. Khlat, Myriam & Jusot, Florence & Ville, Isabelle, 2009. "Social origins, early hardship and obesity: A strong association in women, but not in men?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 1692-1699, May.
    6. Melissa Scharoun-Lee & Penny Gordon-Larsen & Linda Adair & Barry Popkin & Jay Kaufman & Chirayath Suchindran, 2011. "Intergenerational Profiles of Socioeconomic (Dis)advantage and Obesity During the Transition to Adulthood," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(2), pages 625-651, May.
    7. Ramraj, Chantel & Shahidi, Faraz Vahid & Darity, William & Kawachi, Ichiro & Zuberi, Daniyal & Siddiqi, Arjumand, 2016. "Equally inequitable? A cross-national comparative study of racial health inequalities in the United States and Canada," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 19-26.
    8. Tetyana Pudrovska & Benedicta Anikputa, 2014. "Editor's choice Early-Life Socioeconomic Status and Mortality in Later Life: An Integration of Four Life-Course Mechanisms," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 69(3), pages 451-460.
    9. Kavikondala, Sushma & Jiang, Chao Qiang & Zhang, Wei Sen & Cheng, Kar Keung & Lam, Tai Hing & Leung, Gabriel M. & Schooling, C. Mary, 2010. "Intergenerational 'mismatch' and adiposity in a developing population: The Guangzhou biobank cohort study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(6), pages 834-843, March.

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