Physical Factors, Personal Characteristics, and Substance Use: Associations With Obesity

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Background: Because obesity has become a major public health problem, attention to a range of its predictors is needed. This study examined the association of physical factors, personal characteristics, and substance use with obesity in a sample (N = 815) of African American and Puerto Rican young adults with a mean age of 32. Methods: Body mass index (BMI) was calculated to assess obesity. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Bivariate analyses showed that protective factors such as physical activity (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = .82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = .74–.91), healthy diet (AOR = .96, 95% CI = .93–.99), self-control (AOR = .93, 95% CI = .87–.98), and life satisfaction (AOR = .97, 95% CI = .95–.99) were associated with a reduced probability of being obese. Marijuana use was also associated with a decreased probability of obesity (AOR = .89, 95% CI = .80–.99), but was not considered a protective factor. Risk factors such as short sleep duration (AOR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.24–2.33) and depressive mood (AOR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01–1.09) were associated with an increased probability of being obese. Conclusions: For African Americans and Puerto Ricans, programs to treat obesity should focus on increasing sleep, physical activity, and life satisfaction.