Session: Dimensions of Obesity: Norms, Perceptions and Environment
Room: Phillips 403
Time: Tue 13:15-14:45

Presenter: Mary Burke (Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. )

Discussant: Inas Rashad Kelly (City University of New York)

Abstract

Disparities in mean BMI and obesity prevalence between non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic African Americans are well-documented, but the gender-specificity of these disparities has received relatively little attention. Using nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we document the extent to which the female-specificity of the obesity (and BMI) gaps between blacks and whites can be explained by observable factors. We find, for example, that the difference in mean BMI between black and white women declines by less than 20 percent when controlling for educational attainment, household income, occupation, location, and marital status. Using the same controls, a positive BMI gap arises between black men and white men, but this gap is only one-fourth the size of the female BMI gap. The data suggest that behavioral patterns play an important role in generating the stylized facts. Lower levels of physical activity among black women compared to white women can account for a significant portion of the difference in either mean BMI or obesity prevalence between these groups, and black men’s higher smoking rate contributes significantly to the lack of an obesity gap between black men and white men. We discuss the policy implications of our findings and consider reasons why the motivation to avoid obesity may vary by race and gender.

Key Terms

None

Authors:

Mary Burke (Federal Reserve Bank of Boston) and Frank Heiland (CUNY)