The Associations of Multiple Dimensions of Discrimination and Abdominal Fat in African American Adults: The Jackson Heart Study

Abstract

Background Discrimination may be adversely associated with abdominal obesity, but few studies have examined associations with abdominal fat. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine whether discrimination was independently associated with visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SAT) fat and whether these associations differed by sex and age. Methods Participants self-reported experiences of everyday and lifetime discrimination. The main reason for and the coping response to these experiences were also reported. VAT and SAT were quantified by computed tomography. Results In fully adjusted models, higher reports of everyday discrimination were associated with greater SAT, but not VAT, volumes in men only: SAT increased by 3.6 (standard error = 1.8)cm3 for each unit increase in the everyday discrimination score. In women, higher reports of lifetime non-racial discrimination were associated with greater VAT (71.6±32.0, P<0.05) and SAT (212.6±83.6, P<0.05), but these relationships were attenuated after controlling for body mass index. Conclusions These cross-sectional findings do not fully support the independent hypothesis of discrimination and abdominal fat. Additional investigations involving longitudinal designs are warranted.

Perceived Discrimination and Incident Cardiovascular Events

“…Discrimination has been associated with more depressive symptoms (34), poorer mental health (4-6, 17), poorer sleep (35,36), increased adiposity (12)(13)(14)37), higher blood pressure (9)(10)(11), inflammatory biomarkers (15,16), and subclinical CVD (7,8). However, studies of discrimination and CVD risk factors are not unequivocal (2,17).…”

Association of perceived ethnic discrimination with general and abdominal obesity in ethnic minority groups: the HELIUS study

“…Several studies investigated the association between perceived discrimination and obesity in ethnic minority groups in the USA, yielding mixed results 6 7 14 15. In a cross-sectional study, the Jewish, Polish, Irish and Italian whites who perceived chronic discrimination had a higher likelihood of an increased waist circumference (WC) than the Jewish, Polish, Irish and Italian whites who did not perceive chronic discrimination.…”

Association between perceived racial discrimination and hypertension: findings from the ELSA-Brasil study

“…Racial discrimination might lead to unhealthy behaviors (such as physical inactivity and increased energy intake) as coping strategies to deal with discrimination-related stress, resulting in weight gain 18,19 . Coping strategies might be different among men and women.…”