Purpose and Hypothesis

1
BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL PREDICTORS OF OBESITY
IN AFRICAN AMERICANS
Joneis Thomas, PhD1, Denee T. Mwendwa, PhD1,
Serge Madhere, PhD1, Clive O. Callender, MD2,
Debra L. Morehead, BA1, Mana Ali,
BA1, Alfonso Campbell Jr., PhD1
Howard University1 and Howard University
Hospital2 Washington, DC 20059
Purpose and Hypothesis
Discussion
Background

• Purpose The purpose of this research was to
  establish a risk factor model for the development
  of obesity in African
• Americans and include variables such as coping
  with racism and anger/hostility, which have not
  been given extensive attention in the literature.
• Hypothesis We hypothesized that C-reactive
  protein, anger/hostility, anxiety, depression,
  perceived stress, and coping with perceived
  racism would be significant predictors of body
  mass index.

• This study offers insight into the
  biopsychosocial correlates of obesity in African
  Americans.
• Log normalized CRP, depression, anger/hostility,
  and coping with perceived racism were positively
  correlated with BMI.
• In a hierarchical multiple regression analysis,
  log normalized CRP, anger/hostility, and coping
  with perceived racism emerged as significant
  predictors of BMI after controlling for age,
  income, and gender. This model accounted for
  52.1 of the variance in BMI.
• While depression and anxiety were correlated
  with BMI, they were not significant predictors of
  BMI in this sample of African Americans. This
  unexpected finding may be attributable to how
  depression and anxiety were measured.
• Our study contributes to the literature by
  showing that both coping with perceived racism
  and anger/hostility play a role in obesity in
  African-Americans.

• Obesity in the U.S. has reached epidemic
  proportions.
• Two-thirds of American adults are overweight and
  almost one-third are obese.
• Disparities exist across racial/ethnic groups,
  with African Americans, particularly women, being
  disproportionately impacted by obesity.
• Studies have examined biological (e.g., CRP) and
  psychological (e.g., anxiety, stress, depression,
  anger/hostility) correlates of obesity.
• However, scant research exists on how these
  factors influence obesity in African Americans,
  as well as, risk factors that are unique to
  African Americans (e.g., coping with racism).

Design and Methodology

• Participants African Americans (N165), males
  (n82) and females (n83), 18 to 73 years of age,
  residing in Washington, DC, Maryland, or
  Virginia, were the participants in this study.
• Setting Howard University Hospitals General
  Clinical Research Center (GCRC) located in
  Washington, DC was the study site.
• Tests and Measures Informed consent was
  obtained. Participants completed self-report
  measures of anxiety, depression, anger/hostility,
  coping with perceived racism, and perceived
  stress. Participants also underwent a medical
  examination, which included measurements of body
  mass index (BMI) and C-reactive protein (CRP).
  ELISA assay procedures were conducted for serum
  CRP. Weight and height measurements were used to
  calculate BMI.
• Anxiety, depression, and anger/hostility were
  measured using the NEO Personality
  Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R Costa McCrae,
  1992). Perceived stress was measured using the
  Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983).
  Coping with perceived racism was measured using
  the Perceived Racism Scale (McNeilly et al.,
  1986).

Results
Implications
Bivariate Analyses

• The process by which coping with racism
  influences obesity in African Americans needs to
  be further explored.
• Mood states need to be considered when
  conducting research with and providing services
  to African Americans at risk for obesity.
• Health promotion and the prevention and
  treatment of obesity need to be targeted to the
  specific experiences of African Americans.

Note significant correlations are highlighted
Sample Characteristics (N165)
Acknowledgment
Age (yrs.)
45.18 12.02 Men

n82 (49.7)
Women
n83 (50.3) Coping
with Perceived Racism
8.60 4.93 Anxiety
50
5 Depression
50 5 Anger/hostility

50 5 Perceived Stress
15.72 7.07 C-reactive
protein (log normalized) 0.47
1.23 Body Mass Index (kg/m²)
30.98 8.72 __________________________
__ Values are expressed as mean SD or number
().
Regression Analysis

• This research is part of a larger study entitled
  Stress and Psychoneuroimmulogical Factors in
  Renal Health and Disease that is funded by The
  National Center on Minority Health and Health
  Disparities under grant 1P20MD000512-04, A
  Research Center to Reduce Ethnic Disparities in
  ESRD.

Outcome Variable BMI