Abstract
Background
Dieting, exercising, and seeking professional help have been associated with intentional
weight loss among adults.
Objective
This study examined the use of diet (eg, ate less, ate less fat, or switched to low-calorie
foods), exercise, diet and exercise, and professional help (eg, weight-loss program
or prescribed diet pills) for weight loss among non-Hispanic whites, Mexican Americans,
and non-Hispanic blacks.
Design
Cross-sectional data from the 2007-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey were used.
Participants
Males and females (n=9,046) aged 20 to 65 years were included.
Main outcome measure
The weight history questionnaire assessed weight-loss attempts and use of weight-loss
strategies in the past year.
Statistical analyses performed
Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate associations of race/ethnicity
with strategies to lose weight. Models controlled for age, sex, education, and body
mass index. In fully adjusted models, interactions of race/ethnicity by sex were tested.
Results
Lower proportions of Mexican Americans (35%) and non-Hispanic blacks (35%) than non-Hispanic
whites (39%) reported trying to lose weight. Among those who tried to lose weight,
non-Hispanic blacks were less likely than non-Hispanic whites to use diet (odds ratio
[OR] 0.78, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.90) or exercise (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.99) for weight
loss. Mexican Americans (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.95) and non-Hispanic blacks (OR
0.71, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.95) were also less likely than non-Hispanic whites to use professional
help for weight loss. The relationships between race/ethnicity and weight-loss strategy
were stronger for females than males.
Conclusions
Targeted efforts are needed to address racial/ethnic disparities in weight-loss attempts
and use of recommended strategies especially among females.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Trends in obesity among adults in the United States, 2005 to 2014.JAMA. 2016; 315: 2284-2291
- The relation of gender, race and socioeconomic status to obesity and obesity comorbidities in a sample of US adults.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2002; 26: 1205-1210
- Vital signs: Leading causes of death, prevalence of diseases and risk factors, and use of health services among Hispanics in the United States—2009-2013.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015; 64: 469-478
- Hypertension, high serum total cholesterol, and diabetes: Racial and ethnic prevalence differences in U.S. adults, 1999-2006.NCHS Data Brief. 2010 April; : 1-8
- Satisfied or unaware? Racial differences in perceived weight status.Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2006; 3: 40
- Racial/ethnic differences in weight perception.Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009; 17: 790-795
- Sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and BMI in relation to self-perception of overweight.Obes Res. 2002; 10: 345-350
- Weight-control practices among U.S. adults, 2001-2002.Am J Prev Med. 2006; 31: 18-24
- Trying to lose weight: Diet strategies among Americans with overweight or obesity in 1996 and 2003.J Am Diet Assoc. 2010; 110: 535-542
- Long-term weight loss maintenance in the United States.Int J Obes (Lond). 2010; 34: 1644-1654
- Weight regain in U.S. adults who experienced substantial weight loss, 1999-2002.Am J Prev Med. 2007; 33: 34-40
US Department of Health and Human Services and US Department of Agriculture. 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/. Accessed August 5, 2016.
- 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The Obesity Society.Circulation. 2014; 129: S102-S138
- Long-term effectiveness of diet-plus-exercise interventions vs. diet-only interventions for weight loss: A meta-analysis.Obes Rev. 2009; 10: 313-323
- Diet or exercise interventions vs combined behavioral weight management programs: A systematic review and meta-analysis of direct comparisons.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014; 114: 1557-1568
- Efficacy of commercial weight-loss programs.Ann Intern Med. 2015; 163: 399
- Successful weight loss among obese U.S. adults.Am J Prev Med. 2012; 42: 481-485
- Physical activity and dietary determinants of weight loss success in the us general population.Am J Public Health. 2016; 106: 321-326
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm. Accessed August 1, 2015.
- Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment Of Overweight and Obesity in Adults: The Evidence Report.US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC1998
SAS [computer software]. Version 9.3. Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc; 2016.
- Does perception equal reality? Weight misperception in relation to weight-related attitudes and behaviors among overweight and obese US adults.Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2011; 8: 20
- Relationship of satisfaction with body size and trying to lose weight in a national survey of overweight and obese women aged 40 and older, United States.Prev Med. 2002; 35: 390-396
- The interplay between gender, race and weight status: Self perceptions and social consequences.Econ Hum Biol. 2014; 14: 79-91
- Health and sociodemographic factors associated with body weight and weight objectives for women: 2000 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2004; 13: 1019-1032
- Acculturation and overweight-related attitudes and behavior among obese Hispanic adults in the United States.Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013; 21: 2396-2404
- Temporal changes in trying to lose weight and recommended weight-loss strategies among overweight and obese Americans, 1996-2003.Prev Med. 2009; 49: 158-164
- Weight control practices in adults: Results of a multistate telephone survey.Am J Public Health. 1994; 84: 1821-1824
- Level of nutrition knowledge and its association with weight loss behaviors among low-income reproductive-age women.J Community Health. 2015; 40: 542-548
- One-year weight losses in the Look AHEAD study: Factors associated with success.Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009; 17: 713-722
- Weight loss of black, white, and Hispanic men and women in the Diabetes Prevention Program.Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008; 16: 1413-1420
- Differences in weight loss and health outcomes among African Americans and whites in multicentre trials.Obes Rev. 2014; 15: 46-61
- Trend and prevalence estimates based on the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.Am J Prev Med. 2010; 39: 305-313
- Diet and physical activity behaviors among Americans trying to lose weight: 2000 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.Obes Res. 2005; 13: 596-607
- Medically diagnosed overweight and weight loss in a US national survey.Prev Med. 2010; 51: 24-26
- Sex, race, and consideration of bariatric surgery among primary care patients with moderate to severe obesity.J Gen Intern Med. 2014; 29: 68-75
- Physician advice on exercise and diet in a U.S. sample of obese Mexican-American adults.Am J Health Promot. 2011; 25: 402-409
- Disparities by ethnicity and socioeconomic status in the use of weight loss treatments.J Natl Med Assoc. 2009; 101: 62-70
- A comparison of weight-control behaviors in African American and Caucasian women.Ethn Dis. 2007; 17: 262-267
- Self-reported weight loss practices among African American and Hispanic adults in the United States.J Natl Med Assoc. 2010; 102: 469-475
- Disparities in who receives weight-loss advice from a health care provider: Does income make a difference?.Prev Chronic Dis. 2016; 13: E142
- Trends and disparities in provider diagnosis of overweight analysis of NHANES 1999-2004.Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009; 17: 2110-2113
- Limited English proficiency is a barrier to receipt of advice about physical activity and diet among Hispanics with chronic diseases in the United States.J Am Diet Assoc. 2009; 109: 1769-1774
- Clinicians' implicit ethnic/racial bias and perceptions of care among Black and Latino patients.Ann Fam Med. 2013; 11: 43-52
- Racial and ethnic minority patients report different weight-related care experiences than non-Hispanic whites.Prev Med Rep. 2016; 4: 296-302
Biography
B. Marquez is assistant professor, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla.
Biography
R. Murillo is assistant professor, Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 15, 2017
Accepted:
January 24,
2017
Received:
September 21,
2016
Footnotes
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT This research was supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health (K01 HL130726).
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
