Work

The determinants of racial disparities in obesity: baseline evidence from a natural experiment

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: This paper uses baseline data from an observational study to estimate the determinants of racial and gender disparities in obesity. Samples of low-income workers in Minneapolis and Raleigh reveal that respondents in Minneapolis have lower Body Mass Indices (BMIs) than respondents in Raleigh. There are large, statistically significant race and gender effects in estimates of BMI that explain most of the disparity between the two cities. Accounting for intersectionality - the joint impacts of being Black and a woman - reveals that almost all the BMI gaps between Black women in Minneapolis and Raleigh can be explained by age and education differences.

Source: Agricultural and Resource Economics Review

DOI: 10.1017/age.2021.21

Authors: Thomas Durfee, Samuel Myers, Julian Wolfson, Molly DeMarco, Lisa Harnak, Caitlin Caspi

Institutions: University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota System, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Connecticut

Language: English

Topic: Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Gender equality, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,575