Racial/Ethnic Differences in US Health Behaviors: A Decomposition Analysis

Abstract

Objective-To quantify contributions of individual sociodemographic factors, neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES) and unmeasured factors to racial/ethnic differences in health behaviors for Non-Hispanic (NH) Whites, NH Blacks, and Mexican-Americans. Methods-We used linear regression and Oaxaca decomposition analyses.Results-Although individual characteristics and NSES contributed to racial/ethnic differences in health behaviors, differences in responses individual characteristics and NSES also played a significant role.Conclusions-There are racial/ethnic differences in the way that individual-level determinants and NSES affect health behaviors. Understanding the mechanisms for differential responses could inform community interventions and public health campaigns that targeted to particular groups.

Parent-adolescent conversations about eating, physical activity and weight: prevalence across sociodemographic characteristics and associations with adolescent weight and weight-related behaviors

“…Specifically, prior studies have shown that parents/family members are more likely to tease youth who are heavier compared to youth who are not overweight/obese and that teasing is more prevalent among Hispanic/Latino and Asian/Hmong minorities compared to other race/ethnicities (Dubowitz et al, 2011; Jackson et al, 2000; Libbey, 2008; Neumark-Sztainer et al, 2010; Neumark-Sztainer, et al, 2002; Singh, et al, 2008; van den Berg, 2008). The current study indicates that while parents from all different races/ethnicities engaged in parent-adolescent weight and size conversations, these types of conversations were more common among Asian/Hmong and Hispanic/Latino populations.…”

The association between skin color/race and health indicators in elderly Brazilians: a study based on the Brazilian National Household Sample Survey (2008)

“…These factors vary between racial groups and favor the occurrence of racial differences in estimates of chronic diseases 27,36 . Blacks may thus experience more chronic diseases in old age because this condition is associated with more vulnerable social groups 9,27,33,34,35,36 .…”

“…Studies have attributed this fact to unequal exposure to risk factors between racial groups throughout life cycles 6,7 whereby individual and contextual characteristics influence the adoption of healthy or harmful behaviors 36 . These factors vary between racial groups and favor the occurrence of racial differences in estimates of chronic diseases 27,36 .…”

Self-reported Neighborhood Safety and Nonadherence to Treatment Regimens Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

“…[14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Individuals who live in neighborhoods perceived to be unsafe, for example, report lower levels of physical activity 21 , higher rates of smoking 22,23 , and greater levels of obesity 12 compared to individuals living in neighborhoods perceived to be safe, even after accounting for individual-level markers of socioeconomic status, such as household income. Such "neighborhood effects" on health may be particularly pronounced among individuals with type 2 diabetes, which requires consistent adherence to management regimens that are often challenging and complex.…”