Behavioral medicine surveys consistently find that obesity is a treatment-resistant disease that continues to be a significant health problem and that the incidence of obesity is much higher in Blacks relative to Whites in general, and even higher in Black women relative to White women. In fact, a recent NIH Program Announcement (PA-91-99), """"""""Obesity in adults has not declined in the past three decades"""""""" and """"""""Obesity is particularly prevalent in minority populations, especially among minority women."""""""" Obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and hypertension. Obesity is a complex phenomenon involving behavioral, lifestyle, and complex biobehavioral mechanisms. To the best of our knowledge, there are no prospective studies that have simultaneously evaluated a systematic set of psychosocial variables with energy balance (dietary intake, physical activity, resting metabolic rate) determinants that may account for the increased risk for obesity in African-American versus Euro-American women. As such, we propose the following Specific Aims: (1) To recruit 460 (230 Black, 230 White) normal-weight (n = 230) and obese (n = 230) women and to relate psychosocial and energy balance (dietary intake, physical activity, metabolic rate) baseline measures to levels of body fat as measured by DEXA (dual electron X-ray absorptiometry); and (2) to evaluate prospectively the role of these variables to adiposity changes in both White and Black women over a 24-month period.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01HL053261-01A1
Application #
2231096
Study Section
Behavioral Medicine Study Section (BEM)
Project Start
1995-09-30
Project End
1999-08-31
Budget Start
1995-09-30
Budget End
1996-08-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1995
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Memphis
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Memphis
State
TN
Country
United States
Zip Code
38152
Alfano, Catherine M; Klesges, Robert C; Murray, David M et al. (2002) History of sport participation in relation to obesity and related health behaviors in women. Prev Med 34:82-9
Watson, Jennifer M; Scarinci, Isabel C; Klesges, Robert C et al. (2002) Race, socioeconomic status, and perceived discrimination among healthy women. J Womens Health Gend Based Med 11:441-51
Scarinci, I C; Slawson, D L; Watson, J M et al. (2001) Socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and health care access among young and healthy women. Ethn Dis 11:60-71
Scarinci, I C; Watson, J M; Slawson, D L et al. (2000) Socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and environmental tobacco exposure among non-smoking females. Nicotine Tob Res 2:355-61