Professor and Chair, Department of Health and Human Performance Texas State University San Marcos, Texas, United States
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Describe how experiences of perceived racial discrimination may impact obesity and BMI among U.S. adolescents.
Demonstrate how experiences of perceived racial discrimination may impact perception of weight and weight loss behaviors among U.S. adolescents.
Utilize secondary data analysis to explore health behaviors among a nationally-representative sample of U.S. adoelscents.
Brief Abstract Summary: Learn how perceived racial discrimination (PRD) may relate to obesity, weight perceptions, and weight loss behaviors among U.S. adolescents. Using data from the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (N = 7705), we explored BMI differences and weight perceptions among high school students with varying levels of PRD exposure. Results show that 17.1% of participants experienced PRD frequently, and this group had significantly higher BMI and were more likely to perceive themselves as overweight and attempt weight loss compared to those with rare or no PRD experiences. These findings suggest that adolescents facing frequent PRD are at greater risk of obesity and weight-related issues. Public health professionals should address PRD and promote resiliency strategies to mitigate its impact on youth physical health outcomes. Further research is needed to explore the psychological stress mechanisms behind this association.
Detailed abstract description:
Objectives: Studies have linked perceived racial discrimination (PRD) and increased physical health risks, including obesity, among adults from various racial and ethnic minority communities. While the mechanism of action is not fully understood, it is thought that the significant stress induced by PRD may influence health behaviors that impact overall health outcomes. Research has primarily focused on adult populations, with few studies examining this relationship among youth. This study explored the relationship between PRD and obesity measures among a nationally representative sample of U.S. high school students in grades 9-12.
Methods: Data was analyzed from the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey administered to students (N = 7705) in 128 U.S. high schools. One-way ANOVAs, chi-squares, and mean comparisons were used to explore differences in BMI measures and weight perceptions among participants who experienced varying levels of PRD. Participants were grouped as having never experienced PRD, rarely experienced PRD, or sometimes/most times/always experienced PRD.
Results: Among participants, 17.1% reported experiencing PRD sometimes, most times, or always, compared to 20.1% reporting rare experiences and 62.7% reporting no experiences. Differences in BMI between the three groups were statistically significant, with those who had experienced PRD most frequently reporting higher mean BMI than those reporting rare or no PRD experience (p < .001). Similarly, participants with more frequent PRD experiences had a higher mean BMI percentile than other groups. Participants who had experienced PRD most frequently were more likely to perceive themselves as slightly or very overweight (p < .001), as well as more likely to attempt to lose weight (p < .001).
Conclusions: Adolescents experiencing higher levels of PRD may be more likely to have higher BMI, as well as a greater likelihood of perceived overweight status and attempts to lose weight. Further research is needed to understand the relationship that psychological stress from recurring PRD may have on various physical health outcomes related to obesity. Public health professionals working with adolescents should seek to reduce PRD exposure or assist youth in developing resiliency strategies to mediate the impact of PRD on physical health.
