| Obesity affects 76 million people in the United States. Over the past 20 years, U.S. obesity prevalence has increased to epidemic proportions. Previous research falls short of determining how each of six contributing obesity factors---genetics, environment, culture, socioeconomic status (SES), behavior, and metabolism---impacted obesity prevalence in six geographic regions of the United States. Reviews of the literature, related to the sociodemographic impact of obesity, demonstrate the significance of the factors that contribute to obesity, which provides the conceptual framework for this study. The purpose of this study was to explore whether the obesity factors are related to regional obesity prevalence. A mixed methods approach was employed using historical data from the U.S. Census Report, the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, and cultural food data from the Smithsonian Institute. For quantitative analysis, an ANOVA examined the mean differences related to the factors among regions. Pearson's correlation was used to determine the relationship between the factors and obesity. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the most significant factor. Qualitative data were categorized, coded, and analyzed to determine their significance to obesity prevalence. Results suggest that independently, the factors of genetics, behavior and SES were significant predictors of obesity prevalence; culture was identified as the strongest predictor. This study provides an agenda for positive social change by identifying factors that contribute to regional obesity prevalence, thereby providing guidance to help lower obesity prevalence in the United States. |
