Predictors of Obesity in African American College Students

Obesity ranks as the second highest cause of death in the United States, due to its numerous comorbidities, and data reveal that African Americans are at greatest risk for this disease. The purpose of this study was to explore the multiple factors that contribute to obesity in the African American population. Using a hybrid of the PRECEDE-PROCEED and the vital renewal models, a mixed methods study design that included 142 male and female African American college students, ages 18-26 years, was employed. A Likert-scaled survey for the quantitative phase and a focus group interview for the qualitative arm were utilized. The survey measured the constructs of attitude, culture, environment, exercise, food habits, and knowledge. Descriptive, as well as multiple logistic regression analysis were used to analyze associations among variables. Results showed that 40.1% of the students were obese. Exercise, gender, culture, self-perception, and age demonstrated strong association with obesity and were the most predictive factors of obesity. Two focus group sessions were conducted with males and females, respectively. The qualitative analysis revealed 6 major themes: attitude, environment, money, culture, food habits, and stress. The study concluded that multiple complex factors are responsible for persistent high rates of obesity in this population, but cultural orientation and influence appear to be the most challenging. Recommendations include campus-wide culturally specific education, establishment of systems to support healthy food habits and exercise, as well as programs and research on how to deal with the cultural factors. Social change implications include policies and practices to improve health outcomes for college students, especially in the African American college campuses.