Race, Place, and Obesity - Assignment Example

Article:Race, Place, and Obesity: The Complex Relationships Among Community Racial/Ethnic Composition, Individual Race/Ethni and Obesity in the United States James B. Kirby, PhD, Lan Liang, PhD, Hsin-Jen Chen, MS, and Youfa Wang, MD, PhD, MS American Journal of Public Health | August 2012, Vol 102, No. 8 1- The research problem being investigated is whether there is an association between a communitys ethnic/racial composition, an individuals ethnicity/race and obesity in the United States. Previously there has been little knowledge about how living in a community of a particular race/ethnicity can associate with individual-level obesity and how this association might not be constant in relation to individual-level race/ethnicity, and this study focuses on that. 2- The research being conducted has several reasons behind it, the most important being to understand the major differences in health problems, i.e. obesity, that different racial/ethnic groups face. For a disease to be eliminated, we first need to know all the risk factors that cause its occurrence and the purpose behind this study is to investigate if community-level racial/ethnic composition is a risk factor for obesity. The results and conclusions of this study can steer future interventions in the right direction, which is to minimize these health disparities. 3- I found this literature review to be fulfilling its purpose, information about other researches conducted in the area of community-level obesity and individual-level obesity based on ethnicity/race were mentioned. The need for this study was also explained since no other research has covered the association between a communitys racial/ethnic composition, an individuals race/ethnicity and obesity. 4- This study is addressing two questions. One, whether a communitys racial/ethnic compositions association with obesity overrides characteristics of an individual? Two, if there is an association present between the two, does it differ on account of an individuals own race/ethnicity? 5- The research hypothesis being studied is the presence of a relationship between a communitys racial/ethnic composition and obesity. Since there are social norms dictating lifestyle in every ethnic group, one ethnic/racial group might be in favour of an increased body weight than the other, and whether a person of a different ethnicity living in that community would be susceptible to obesity or not. 6- If the research does result in highlighting that living in a certain racial/ethnic group puts an individual at risk for obesity regardless of his/her own characteristics, it might result in hysteria causing an exodus of people out of that community and social interventions warning against obesity at a community level, the latter being a more positive result. 7- The hypothesis is somewhat clear, that the researchers want to find a link between living in a community of a certain ethnicity, individuals own ethnicity and obesity. Implications of this research are not highlighted. 8- The study sample consisted of 123, 192 individuals ages 18 years and older. Pregnant women, people who were not non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, or non-Hispanic Asian and ones with extremes in BMI or missing BMIs were excluded from the sample. 9- Yes, this sample is generalizable, with such a large number of people as 123, 192 of both genders and various ethnicities. This study can be applied worldwide, in all communities of various races/ethnicities at risk of obesity. 10- The study sample was obtained with the help of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. MEPS conducts surveys to get information on medical care use, health status, and medical conditions prevailing in the United States. In order to get an adequate sample size so that statistical analysis of individual race/ethnicity and community racial/ethnic composition can be done, MEPS data from 2002 to 2007 was pooled. Community information, on the other hand, on poverty and race/ethnicity was obtained from the 2000 US Decennial Census. 11- Bias existing in this study sample is that self-reported heights and weights were used, thus the quality of information depended on the subjects themselves. 12- This research method employed here is a descriptive study known as a cross-sectional study as it involves observation of all of a population rather than individuals with only a few specific characterisitics in common. 13- The researchers took a survey of the study sample and calculated BMI on the basis of self-reported weight and height, then the individuals were asked about which communities they live in and to select the racial category that best describes them. After this, they were categorized into different groups like Hispanics, non-Hispanic Blacks, non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Asians for the purpose of cross analysis. 14- This research is mainly based on statistics, no mechanical instruments were used to gather any data. In addition to using the data from the MEPS and Decennial Census database, researchers used equations to calculate coefficient estimates and odds ratio of race/ethnicity, communitys racial/ethnic composition and the relationship between the two. 15- Since no mechanical instruments were used, there is no point to addressing their reliability and validity. 16- The researchers defined Body Mass Index (BMI) as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters, and they defined obesity as having a BMI of 30 or more. 17- In this study, an association between a communitys race/ethnicity, an individuals race/ethnicity and obesity was sought. While the results did show that a corelation exists, it does not prove causation. An alternative study method should be sought, like a prospective cohort study of individuals living in communities of a certain race/ethnicity that puts them at higher risk of obesity. The results of this research showed that Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites living in a Hispanic society are more prone to obesity than non-Hispanic blacks or non-Hispanic Asians. A prospective study can be done to follow these individuals, take their lifestyle habits down and keep tabs on their bodily weight. A control group of individuals with all the above mentioned races/ethnicities living in communities of their own race/ethnicity should be followed too and the data be compared at the end. This could narrow down the risk factors that push individuals towards obesity. 18- The data is presented in the form of tables and charts, Multiple bar diagrams have been used which feature individual race/ethnicity, communitys racial/ethnic composition and risk for obesity. One table presents community variables as well like percentage of people living in poverty, number of grocery stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, gyms, restaurants, takeout food services per 1000 people. As far as clarity is concerned, the tables and bar diagrams are moderately difficult to grasp if one doesnt have prior knowledge of statistics. It would seem that the data presented is accurate since it has been taken from national databases, but it might not be applicable now as it was taken from the time period of 2002 to 2007. 19- The tables presented took a lot of scrutiny to understand, as there were far too many details in a single one. On the other hand, the multiple bar diagrams used to describe the changes in BMI and the odds ratio of individuals of different race/ethnicities being obese while living in communities of different races/ethnicities were far more clearer. 20- I am of the opinion that method of presentation is accurate as the data formulated and supported the hypothesis, especially since this is a published research paper. 21- Yes, the conclusions are supported by the study results. Its concluded in this study that the racial/ethnic composition of a community does have a correlation with obesity, but the individuals race/ethnicity makes a difference here as well. This is just the tip of the iceberg though, once researchers dive into this problem, many other variables will have to be explored as well like family history, diet, education, exercise etc. 22- The implications of the findings here set a ground for further research, to understand the reasons behind these racial/ethnic disparities in obesity on an individual and community level in the United States. Once those reasons are sought out, measures can be taken to creat an awareness about these risk factors that contribute towards obesity and much greater health problems later. 23- There are several limitations to this study, as even recognized by the researchers. Firstly, self measured heights and weights were used. Secondly, community characteristics could not be measured on a proper magnitude and finally, individual data was collected from MEPS covering the period of 2002 to 2007 whereas the community characteristics were taken from the 2000 Decennial census which poses an error of measurement. I also found that since the collection of data is covering the last decade, it might not be as accurate and applicable to todays racial/ethnic communities and their obesity risk. Read More