Baseline Body Mass Predicts Average Depressive Symptoms over the Next Two Decades for White but Not Black Older Adults

Assari, Shervin

doi:10.3390/geriatrics4010014

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 140 publications

(224 reference statements)

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“…The current sample is composed of economically disadvantaged residents that live in poor urban areas. This is important given the protective effect of high SES against polypharmacy [14,74,75,76] and obesity [27,28,29,77,78]. It is well known that that SES shapes the risk of polypharmacy in AA men and women [14,74,75,76].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Obesity and Polypharmacy among African American Older Adults: Gender as the Moderator and Multimorbidity as the Mediator

Assari

Wisseh

Bazargan

2019

IJERPH

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Despite high prevalence of obesity and polypharmacy among African American (AA) older adults, little information exists on the associations between the two in this population. This study explored the association between obesity and polypharmacy among AA older adults who were residing in poor urban areas of South Los Angeles. We also investigated role of gender as the moderator and multimorbidity as the mediator of this association. In a community-based study in South Los Angeles, 308 AA older adults (age ≥ 55 years) were entered into this study. From this number, 112 (36.4%) were AA men and 196 (63.6%) were AA women. Polypharmacy (taking 5+ medications) was the dependent variable, obesity was the independent variable, gender was the moderator, and multimorbidity (number of chronic medical conditions) was the mediator. Age, educational attainment, financial difficulty (difficulty paying bills, etc.), income, marital status, self-rated health (SRH), and depression were the covariates. Logistic regressions were used for data analyses. In the absence of multimorbidity in the model, obesity was associated with higher odds of polypharmacy in the pooled sample. This association was not significant when we controlled for multimorbidity, suggesting that multimorbidity mediates the obesity-polypharmacy link. We found significant association between obesity and polypharmacy in AA women not AA men, suggesting that gender moderates such association. AA older women with obesity are at a higher risk of polypharmacy, an association which is mainly due to multimorbidity. There is a need for screening for inappropriate polypharmacy in AA older women with obesity and associated multimorbidity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Obesity and Polypharmacy among African American Older Adults: Gender as the Moderator and Multimorbidity as the Mediator

Assari

Wisseh

Bazargan

2019

IJERPH

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“…Assessing depressive symptoms is beneficial because they provide a strong assessment of subclinical risk and generalized distress, which tends to be influenced by stress exposure (Kessler 1979; Pearlin et al 1981). Given the mental health paradox, which emphasizes the relatively low rates of psychiatric disorders and the high rates of psychological distress among this population (Assari 2019; Barnes and Bates 2017; Barnes, Keyes, and Bates 2013; Mouzon et al 2016; Thomas Tobin, Erving, and Barve 2021), we also chose to focus on depressive symptoms because it might provide more insight into the mental health challenges of black Americans. Taken together, the present study seeks to shed light on the ways that John Henryism as a form of culturally relevant coping may contribute to unexpected physical and mental health patterns among black Americans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the SSP emphasizes the role of coping resources as a vital part of the stress process and posits that these individual-level attributes may buffer the negative effects of social stress on health (Turner, Taylor, and Van Gundy 2004). Although recent research suggests that black Americans may draw on unique coping resources that facilitate particular health patterns, there has been limited consideration of the ways that culturally relevant coping resources may shape health among this group (Assari 2019; Greer 2007; Greer and Brown 2011). Thus, evaluating the role of group-specific coping resources is needed to shed new light on the processes underlying the health patterns of black Americans.…”

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confidence: 99%

Is John Henryism a Health Risk or Resource?: Exploring the Role of Culturally Relevant Coping for Physical and Mental Health among Black Americans

Robinson

Tobin

2021

J Health Soc Behav

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Research shows that John Henryism, a high-effort, active coping style, is associated with poor physical health, whereas others suggest it may be psychologically beneficial. As such, it is unclear whether John Henryism represents a health risk or resource for black Americans and whether its impact varies across sociodemographic and gender groups. The present study used data from a representative community sample of black Americans (n = 627) from the Nashville Stress and Health Study (2011–2014) to clarify the physical and mental health consequences of John Henryism by assessing its relationship with depressive symptoms and allostatic load (AL). Results indicate that John Henryism is associated with increased AL scores and fewer depressive symptoms. Additionally, the association between John Henryism and AL is conditional on socioeconomic status. Study results underscore the importance of evaluating both physical and mental health to clarify the health significance of John Henryism among black Americans.

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“…Similarly, environmental influences may be a larger contributor to obesity in communities of color, when compared to White communities (Assari, 2020a; Published by SCHOLINK INC. Assari, 2020). In various studies, depression has shown weaker effects on BMI for people of color than White children and adults (Assari, 2014;Assari, 2019aAssari, , 2020bAssari & Caldwell, 2015;Carter & Assari, 2016). The association between sustained obesity and depression was found to be a White females' phenomenon, as these women did not expect and accept obesity (Carter & Assari, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Children’s Body Mass Index: Diminished Returns of Parental Education and Family Income

Assari¹

2020

RHS

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Background: High socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with several health-related outcomes, such as obesity and body mass index (BMI). However, we do not know whether SES is associated differently with children’s BMI from American Indian and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AIAN/NHPI) families when compared to non-Hispanic White (NHW) families. Aim: To compare AIAN/NHPI and NHW families for associations between parental education, family income, and children’s BMI in the United States (U.S). Methods: This cross-sectional study used the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Participants (n = 8580) included 63 AIAN/NHPI and 8517 NHW children between ages 9 and 10. The independent variables were parental education and family income. The primary outcome was BMI. Race was the moderator. Age, sex, and family structure were covariates. Mixed-effects regression models were used for data analysis. Results: In the pooled sample, higher parental education and family income were associated with lower children’s BMI. We found interactions between race and parental education and family income indicating weaker associations between parental education and family income and children’s BMI in AIAN/NHPI families than in NHW families. Conclusion: The salience of parental education and family income as social determinants of children’s BMI is diminished for AIAN/NHPI families than NHW families. As a result, AIAN/NHPIs children with high SES remain at risk for high BMI, while high-SES NHW children show the lowest BMI. Future research should test if obesogenic environments, food options, and physical activity-friendly neighborhoods can explain higher-than-expected BMI in high-SES AIAN/NHPI children. In other terms, more research is needed to understand if residential segregation, discrimination, and historical trauma explain the observed differences in the social patterning of childhood BMI in AIAN/NHPI and NHW communities.

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Baseline Body Mass Predicts Average Depressive Symptoms over the Next Two Decades for White but Not Black Older Adults

Cited by 8 publications

References 140 publications

Obesity and Polypharmacy among African American Older Adults: Gender as the Moderator and Multimorbidity as the Mediator

Obesity and Polypharmacy among African American Older Adults: Gender as the Moderator and Multimorbidity as the Mediator

Is John Henryism a Health Risk or Resource?: Exploring the Role of Culturally Relevant Coping for Physical and Mental Health among Black Americans

American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Children’s Body Mass Index: Diminished Returns of Parental Education and Family Income

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