The Factors Associated with Obesity among the Older Adults in the Gulf Coast Area, with Comparison to the U.S.

Abstract

This paper tries to examine the social, demographic, and behavioral factors on obesity in three Gulf Coast states, namely Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, which has shown higher obesity prevalence in the U.S. One assumes that contributing factors on obesity in this area would follow the national trend: the lower the socioeconomic status, being a minority, African American, and less exercise increases the odds of having obesity. By using the logistic regression, the study found that the Gulf Coast Area did not fully follow the national trend from the 2012 BRFSS data. Rural older males are less likely to be obese, which is surprising. The effect of SES and female African American in the Gulf Coast Area were greater than those in the U.S. The SES variables constructed by education and household income here estimated the unequal effect of SES on obesity clearer: only the highest SES category was statistically significant, unlike the education showed a linear relationship in other studies. It would be appropriate to consider the result of this study for more effective policies and/or programs.