Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Obesity: The Intervening Role of Negative Weight Self Efficacy

• In Event: 322 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 20. Obesity

Abstract

Using data from the 2007-2008 continuous National Health Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), this study conducted gender-specific analyses to examine the influence of food insecurity on individual BMI. The recent literature has identified the existence of the food insecurity-obesity paradox such that individuals who are food insecure are more likely to have higher BMI, and this association is especially prevalent among women. Various mechanisms have been proposed as having the potential for explaining this paradox. This paper tests for the effects of various mechanisms. Results confirm the positive association between food insecurity and elevated BMI among women. Further, these analyses do not provide evidence for a mediating role of mechanisms described in the research literature. Future research should strive to identify and test for other potential pathways of influence that might explain this food insecurity-obesity paradox.

Author

• Lori Kowaleski-Jones, University of Utah