Ethnic-group socioeconomic status as an indicator of community-level disadvantage: A study of overweight/obesity in Asian American adolescents. (July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cook, Won Kim; Tseng, Winston; Tam, Christina; John, Iyanrick; Lui, Camillia
• Is Part Of: Social science & medicine. Volume 184(2017)
• Page Start: 15
• Page End: 22
• Publication Date: 2017-07
• Subjects: Health disparities -- Socioeconomic disadvantage -- Asian American health -- Childhood obesity -- Adolescent health; Social medicine -- Periodicals; Medical anthropology -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; Psychology -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine sociale -- Périodiques; Anthropologie médicale -- Périodiques; Santé publique -- Périodiques; Psychologie -- Périodiques; Médecine -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 362.105
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.04.027
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0277-9536

Abstract

Abstract: Asian American children and adolescents are an under-investigated subpopulation in obesity research. Informed by a wide socioeconomic diversity among Asian American ethnic groups, this study explored ethnic-group socioeconomic status (SES) as an indicator of community-level disadvantage that may influence overweight/obesity in Asian American adolescents. We hypothesized that ethnic-group SES was inversely associated with overweight/obesity in Asian American adolescents. Multiple logistic regression models were fitted using a sample of 1525 Asian American adolescents ages 12–17 from pooled 2007–2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data. Age, gender, nativity, individual-level SES (income and education), and two lifestyle variables (fast food consumption and physical activity) were controlled for. We found that adolescents in high- or middle-level SES ethnic groups were far less likely to be overweight/obese than those in low-SES ethnic groups. Further, these relationships were more pronounced for foreign-born adolescents but not significant for U.S.-born adolescents. Ethnic-group SES may be a meaningful indicator of community-level socioeconomic disparities that influence the health of Asian Americans and, potentially, other populations with high proportions of immigrants of diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. Highlights: Low ethnic-group SES may capture community-level disadvantage for Asian Americans. Adolescents in low SES ethnic-groups are at high risk of overweight/obesity. Foreign-born adolescents in low-SES ethnic groups are at the highest risk of overweight/obesity.