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Breaking the convention of exclusion: an analysis of diet‐related disease risk in mixed race adults (380.1)
Author(s) -
Mosley Michelle,
Taualii Maile
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.380.1
Subject(s) - odds , demography , overweight , odds ratio , obesity , race (biology) , medicine , national health and nutrition examination survey , mixed race , gerontology , ethnic group , national health interview survey , behavioral risk factor surveillance system , disease , environmental health , logistic regression , population , botany , sociology , biology , anthropology
The fastest growing ethnic group in the United States is those who identify as mixed race. In 2000, the US Census reported 2.4% of individuals who identified as mixed race, while in 2010, 2.9% identified as mixed race ‐ a 32% increase. However, due to conventional statistical practices, data on these individuals gets excluded from many national reports. This includes reporting on nutrition‐related health status, an area of epidemic concern for the nation. The objective of this study was to determine whether mixed race individuals have greater risk of selected diet‐related diseases than white individuals using the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey data. Odds ratios were estimated to determine the level of risk associated with obesity, diabetes, and coronary heart disease (CHD). Statistical models reported are adjusted for age, sex, education, and income. Of the total 468,990 respondents, 81.9% (n=384,048) were white and 2.2% (n=10,234) were mixed race. Compared to whites, mixed race individuals had 1.11 greater odds of being overweight and obese. Mixed race individuals had 1.37 greater odds of ever being told they have diabetes and 1.37 greater odds of ever being told they have CHD when compared to whites. Due to the greater risk for diet‐related diseases in mixed race individuals, it is critical that they no longer be “thrown out” in analyses and reports involving nutrition‐related health and disease. For planning purposes, funding allocations, or other efforts that require race‐based statistics, our study shows that people who identify as more than one race must be included.