Association between Educational Attainment and Body Mass Index: Role of Race

Abstract

Background: One of the best recognized health effects of high educational attainment is lower body mass index (BMI), however recent research suggests that this association might be racialized and differ for Black and White individuals. Aims: To investigate whether race moderates the inverse association between educational attainment and BMI as adults. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresher with a total sample size of 1972 adults, 128 of whom are Black and 1842 of whom are White, above the age of 24 in the United States. The sample was randomly selected. Educational attainment and income were independent variables. BMI was the outcome. Linear regression was used for multivariable analysis. SPSS was used for data analysis. Results: Income was inversely associated with BMI. There was a statistical interaction between race and educational attainment suggesting a weaker inverse association between education and BMI for Black than White adults. Conclusion: Opposite to the pattern for Whites, being a highly educated individual in the US does not lend protection against high BMI for Black people. This finding may reflect racism, social stratification, and marginalization of Black Americans in the US, regardless of their education. High BMI of highly educated Black Americans may be due to poor nutrition, low physical activity, and/or low walkability of neighborhood; however, such conclusions require additional research.