Increasing Body Weight and the Transition from Welfare to Work: Findings from the National Survey of American Life

Few studies focus on employment outcomes for overweight and obese low-income women. We describe the relationship between body mass index and employment status among African American, Caribbean Black and White women who receive assistance through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family program. Thi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ethnicity & disease 2009, Vol.19 (1), p.13-17
Main Authors: Hastings, Julia F., Snowden, Lonnie R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
African Americans - statistics & numerical data
Body Mass Index
Body Weight - ethnology
Caribbean Region - ethnology
Employment - statistics & numerical data
European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Obesity - ethnology
Original Reports: Obesity
Public Assistance - statistics & numerical data
Socioeconomic Factors
United States - epidemiology
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Summary:Few studies focus on employment outcomes for overweight and obese low-income women. We describe the relationship between body mass index and employment status among African American, Caribbean Black and White women who receive assistance through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family program. This was a secondary analysis of data from the National Survey of American Life dataset. We analyzed a sample of 1039 community-dwelling adult women who reported that they received public assistance. African Americans and Whites reported the highest rates of obesity, 45% and 48%, respectively. Logistic regression analyses for the entire sample revealed that being overweight or obese did not significantly predict employment status, controlling for known covariates. This aggregate effect concealed ethnic differences. African American women who were overweight (OR 1.60, P < .05) and Caribbean Black women who were obese (OR 3.41, P < .05) were more likely to be employed, but overweight White women (OR .09, P
ISSN:1049-510X