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Associations of abdominal fat with perceived racism and passive emotional responses to racism in African American women

Author

Listed:
  • Vines, A.I.
  • Baird, D.D.
  • Stevens, J.
  • Hertz-Picciotto, I.
  • Light, K.C.
  • McNeilly, M.

Abstract

Objectives. An excess in abdominal fat may predispose African American women to chronic health conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Because stress may increase body fat in the center-body region, we used the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) to examine associations between excess abdominal fat and perceived racism (a chronic stressor) and daily stress. Passive emotional responses to perceived racism, hypothesized to have particularly adverse effects, were also examined. Methods. We controlled for body mass index in multiple logistic regression models among 447 African American women who completed a telephone interview on perceived racism. Results. Passive emotional responses were not related to WHR (odds ratio [OR] = 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.8, 2.4). High perceived racism was associated with a low WHR in this population (OR = 0.4; 95% CI = 0.3, 0.8). However, high daily stress was related to a high WHR (OR = 2.7; 95% CI = 1.1, 6.7). Conclusions. Findings support an association between daily stress and WHR but do not support our hypothesis that passive emotional responses to perceived racism increase abdominal fat. Further study of the stress physiology of perceived racism in African American women is warranted.

Suggested Citation

  • Vines, A.I. & Baird, D.D. & Stevens, J. & Hertz-Picciotto, I. & Light, K.C. & McNeilly, M., 2007. "Associations of abdominal fat with perceived racism and passive emotional responses to racism in African American women," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 97(3), pages 526-530.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2005.080663_5
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.080663
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    Cited by:

    1. Harris, Ricci & Cormack, Donna & Tobias, Martin & Yeh, Li-Chia & Talamaivao, Natalie & Minster, Joanna & Timutimu, Roimata, 2012. "The pervasive effects of racism: Experiences of racial discrimination in New Zealand over time and associations with multiple health domains," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 408-415.
    2. Johnston, David W. & Lordan, Grace, 2012. "Discrimination makes me sick! An examination of the discrimination–health relationship," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 99-111.
    3. Reid, Allecia E. & Rosenthal, Lisa & Earnshaw, Valerie A. & Lewis, Tené T. & Lewis, Jessica B. & Stasko, Emily C. & Tobin, Jonathan N. & Ickovics, Jeannette R., 2016. "Discrimination and excessive weight gain during pregnancy among Black and Latina young women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 134-141.
    4. Hicken, Margaret T. & Lee, Hedwig & Hing, Anna K., 2018. "The weight of racism: Vigilance and racial inequalities in weight-related measures," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 157-166.
    5. Cha-Nam Shin & Erica Soltero & Scherezade K. Mama & Christopher Sunseri & Rebecca E. Lee, 2017. "Association of Discrimination and Stress With Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Ethnic Minority Women," Clinical Nursing Research, , vol. 26(6), pages 694-712, December.

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