Child’s Experience of Racial Discrimination Tied to Higher Risk for Obesity

TUESDAY, July 18, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Self-reported racial discrimination is a risk factor for adiposity in U.S. children and teens, according to a study published online July 11 in JAMA Network Open.

Adolfo G. Cuevas, Ph.D., from the New York University School of Global Public Health in New York City, and colleagues examined whether self-reported experiences of racial discrimination are associated with adiposity in a nationally representative sample of 6,463 children and adolescents. Participants were surveyed on items in the Perceived Discrimination Scale to quantify interpersonal racial discrimination, and measures of adiposity (body mass index and waist circumference) were recorded by trained research assistants.

The researchers found that greater racial discrimination exposure at time 1 (2017 to 2019) was associated with higher body mass index z score at time 2 (2018 to 2020) in both unadjusted (β, 0.05) and adjusted regression models (β, 0.04). Similarly, discrimination at time 1 was associated with higher waist circumference at time 2 in unadjusted (β, 0.35) and adjusted (β, 0.24) models.

"Exposure to racial discrimination must be acknowledged as both a social determinant of obesity and a significant contributor to obesity disparities among children and adolescents. Therefore, preventing or at least mitigating the impact of discrimination sooner than later could potentially reduce the risk of obesity," Cuevas said in a statement. "It is crucial for researchers, clinicians, educators, and policymakers to join forces with communities to establish evidence-based strategies aimed at preventing exposure to racial discrimination in order to improve obesity at the population level."

Abstract/Full Text