IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/mth/jsss88/v2y2015i1p297-319.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An Empirical Analysis of Factors Affecting Obesity in the Alabama Black Belt and Surrounding Counties

Author

Listed:
  • Nii O. Tackie
  • Gwendolyn J. Johnson
  • Millicent P. Braxton
  • Benedicta Obeng
  • Beatrice Sampson

Abstract

Overweight and obesity have been major challenges over the last several decades. The study analyzed factors affecting obesity in the Alabama Black Belt and surrounding counties. Using a questionnaire, data were obtained from a convenience sample of 273 participants from several counties, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordinal logit analysis. The results show that a majority of participants affirmed that nutritional claim factors, purchasing behavior/food product factors, food safety factors, and healthy lifestyle factors are related to obesity. The results also show that age, race/ethnicity, ¡°light¡± labeled food, nutritional label, low content carbohydrate food, and price are contributing factors to obesity. Furthermore, regular fitness activity and eating fruits and vegetables regularly had negative relationships with obesity, and therefore, can contribute to lowering the prevalence of obesity. Consequently, it was recommended that these eight factors should be considered in obesity education programs for residents in the study area.

Suggested Citation

  • Nii O. Tackie & Gwendolyn J. Johnson & Millicent P. Braxton & Benedicta Obeng & Beatrice Sampson, 2015. "An Empirical Analysis of Factors Affecting Obesity in the Alabama Black Belt and Surrounding Counties," Journal of Social Science Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 2(1), pages 297-319, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:mth:jsss88:v:2:y:2015:i:1:p:297-319
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/jsss/article/view/6792/5598
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/jsss/article/view/6792/5598
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Miljkovic, Dragan & Nganje, William & de Chastenet, Helene, 2008. "Economic factors affecting the increase in obesity in the United States: Differential response to price," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 48-60, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Beghin, John C. & Jensen, Helen H., 2008. "Farm policies and added sugars in US diets," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 480-488, December.
    2. Tatjana Miljkovic & Saleem Shaik & Dragan Miljkovic, 2017. "Redefining standards for body mass index of the US population based on BRFSS data using mixtures," Journal of Applied Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(2), pages 197-211, January.
    3. Boncinelli, Fabio & Riccioli, Francesco & Marone, Enrico, 2015. "Do forests help to keep my body mass index low?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 11-17.
    4. Härkänen, Tommi & Kotakorpi, Kaisa & Pietinen, Pirjo & Pirttilä, Jukka & Reinivuo, Heli & Suoniemi, Ilpo, 2014. "The welfare effects of health-based food tax policy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P1), pages 196-206.
    5. Adu, Derick T. & Li, Wenying & Sawadgo, Wendiam P.M., 2023. "Estimating the unintended impact of the North American free trade agreement on U.S. public health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    6. Cavaliere, Alessia & De Marchi, Elisa & Banterle, Alessandro, 2013. "Time Preference and Health: The Problem of Obesity," 2013 International European Forum, February 18-22, 2013, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 164754, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    7. Barrera, Emiliano Lopez & Miljkovic, Dragan, 2022. "The link between the two epidemics provides an opportunity to remedy obesity while dealing with Covid-19," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 280-297.
    8. Henson, Spencer & Blandon, Jose & Cranfield, John, 2010. "Difficulty of healthy eating: A Rasch model approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(10), pages 1574-1580, May.
    9. Han, Euna & Powell, Lisa M. & Isgor, Zeynep, 2012. "Supplemental nutrition assistance program and body weight outcomes: The role of economic contextual factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(12), pages 1874-1881.
    10. Banterle, Alessandro & Cavaliere, Alessia, 2014. "Is there a relationship between product attributes, nutrition labels and excess weight? Evidence from an Italian region," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P1), pages 241-249.
    11. Etilé, Fabrice, 2009. "Compte rendu d'ouvrage - Fat Economics: Nutrition, Health, and Economic Policy," Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement (RAEStud), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), vol. 90(3).
    12. Just, David R. & Gabrielyan, Gnel, 2018. "Influencing the food choices of SNAP consumers: Lessons from economics, psychology and marketing," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 309-317.
    13. Alessia CAVALIERE & Elisa DE MARCHI & Alessandro BANTERLE, 2013. "Time preference and health: the problem of obesity," Departmental Working Papers 2013-13, Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods at Università degli Studi di Milano.
    14. Burbidge, Linda D. & Peterson, Hikaru Hanawa, 2010. "From Family to Peer Setting: Food Choices of College Freshmen," 2010 Annual Meeting, July 25-27, 2010, Denver, Colorado 61662, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    15. Radwan, Amr & Gil, José M., 2014. "On the Nexus between Economic and Obesity Crisis in Spain: Parametric and Nonparametric Analysis of the Role of Economic Factors on Obesity Prevalence," 88th Annual Conference, April 9-11, 2014, AgroParisTech, Paris, France 170341, Agricultural Economics Society.
    16. Cavaliere, Alessia & Banterle, Alessandro, 2008. "Economic factors affecting obesity: an application in Italy," 2008 International Congress, August 26-29, 2008, Ghent, Belgium 44324, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    17. Alston, Julian M. & Sumner, Daniel A. & Vosti, Stephen A., 2008. "Farm subsidies and obesity in the United States: National evidence and international comparisons," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 470-479, December.
    18. Etilé, Fabrice, 2009. "Compte rendu d'ouvrage - Fat Economics: Nutrition, Health, and Economic Policy," Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement (RAEStud), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), vol. 0(Issue 3).
    19. Okrent, Abigail & Sweitzer, Megan, 2016. "Obesity as a Modifier of Price Sensitivity in the United States," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236251, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    20. Gustavsen, Geir Wæhler & Rickertsen, Kyrre, 2013. "Adjusting VAT rates to promote healthier diets in Norway: A censored quantile regression approach," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 88-95.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mth:jsss88:v:2:y:2015:i:1:p:297-319. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Technical Support Office (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/jsss .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.