Social Factors in Childhood and Adulthood Associated with Adult Obesity in African American and White Women

Table 2

Comparison of participant characteristics by race and obesity status.

	African American females (𝑛=811)					White females (𝑛=175)
	Nonobese (𝑛=577)		Obese (𝑛=188)		𝑡-test	Nonobese (𝑛=126)		Obese (𝑛=42)		t-test
	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	𝑃 value	Mean	SD	Mean	SD	𝑃 value
Demographic characteristics
Age, mean (SD)	30.12	1.52	30.14	1.45	0.827	29.98	1.45	29.75	1.38	0.367
Years of education	12.84	2.09	12.56	2	0.114	11.07	2.12	10.52	1.61	0.127
Percentage with college degree or above	15.94	36.64	10.64	30.92	0.074	3.97	19.6	0	0	0.192
Number of assets	2.63	2.17	2.16	2.05	0.011	3.48	2.2	2.38	1.78	0.004
Average family income ($)	$33,085	$23,203	$28,672	$19,923	0.069	$37,537	$27,481	$28,220	$14,764	0.104
Average personal income ($)	$16,535	$12,442	$14,734	$11,405	0.118	$13,408	$12,717	$8,838	$8,902	0.045
Number of children	1.49	1.37	1.51	1.25	0.859	1.58	1.23	1.62	1.21	0.856
Percentage married	26	43.9	31.38	46.53	0.150	60.32	49.12	54.76	50.38	0.529
Age at first child’s birth	23.76	5.26	23.15	5.06	0.166	23.36	5.16	23.25	4.96	0.908
Percent below poverty level	31.94	46.68	35.48	48	0.422	23.89	42.83	40	49.61	0.052
Health characteristics
BMI	23.75	3.12	35.18	4.94	<0.001	23.2	3.22	34.94	4.85	0.000
Percent current smoker	42.81	49.52	42.02	49.49	0.850	51.59	50.17	59.52	49.68	0.375
Percent with very good/excellent self-reported health	61.18	48.78	42.55	49.57	<0.001	58.73	49.43	42.86	50.09	0.074
Adult neighborhood characteristics
Median household income ($)	$25,838	$10,938	$23,886	9566	0.036	$34,481	$13,947	$30,303	$8,291	0.095
Percent African American	72.08	31.07	73	31.61	0.735	8.02	12.34	7.3	8.22	0.747
Percent poor Neighborhood	35.16	15.97	36.13	15.44	0.485	23.4	11.23	28.86	14.73	0.026
Childhood neighborhood and personal characteristics
Percent African American	71.97	34.03	75.23	31.58	0.290	8.47	18.36	11.36	22.17	0.483
Mother married at time of birth (%)	67.44	46.9	67.03	47.14	0.919	87.2	33.54	90.24	30.04	0.606
Mother married to father at age 8 (%)	61.7	48.65	60.11	49.1	0.698	71.43	45.36	71.43	45.72	0.999
Percent not on welfare as child/adult	40.9	49.2	46.27	49.99	0.196	27.77	44.96	38.09	49.15	0.210
Percent poor Neighborhood	21.58	15.26	24.29	15.76	0.046	13.16	10.66	14.46	13.49	0.589
Household below poverty level (%)	29.28	45.54	36.7	48.32	0.057	30.95	46.41	33.33	47.71	0.775
Overweight as child (%)	1.4	11.77	17.13	37.78	<0.001	1.63	12.7	11.9	32.78	0.004
At risk for overweight as child (%)	5.44	22.7	15.47	36.26	<0.001	6.5	24.76	16.67	37.72	0.048