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Race and obesity disparities among adults living in gentrifying neighborhoods

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Abstract

There is a paucity of research seeking to understand race disparities in obesity among individuals living in a gentrifying neighborhood. American Community Survey data were used to identify gentrifying neighborhoods. In a cross-sectional analysis, these data were then linked to the 2014 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, yielding an analytic sample of 887 Black and White adults. Obesity was based on body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2. After controlling for potential confounders, Black adults living in gentrifying neighborhoods had a higher prevalence of obesity (PR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.88) than White adults living in gentrifying neighborhoods. Gentrification may have no impact on reducing Black-White obesity disparities in the US.

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Acknowledgements

The research was supported by grants from the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities (P60MD000214), the National Institute on Aging (1K02AG059140), and the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions Pilot Project Award (U54MD000214).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    G. S. Smith

  2. Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    G. S. Smith & R. J. Thorpe Jr

  3. Department of Social Work, College of Staten Island-City University of New York School of Health Science, Staten Island, NY, USA

    P. Archibald

  4. Program for Research On Men’s Health, Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    R. J. Thorpe Jr

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  1. G. S. Smith
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  2. P. Archibald
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  3. R. J. Thorpe Jr
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Correspondence to G. S. Smith.

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Smith, G.S., Archibald, P. & Thorpe, R.J. Race and obesity disparities among adults living in gentrifying neighborhoods. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 10, 93–99 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-01199-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-01199-x

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