Disparities in Adolescents' Obesogenic Behaviors, 2005-2017

Objectives: Given the increasing national-level efforts to reduce disparities in obesogenic behaviors in youth, in this paper, we assessed the change in disparities in meeting guidelines for fruits and vegetables intake (FV), physical activity (PA), and sedentary behavior (SB) among adolescents in the United States in the last 13 years. Methods: Using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (2005-2017), overall and characteristic-specific (sex, age, race/ethnicity) disparities ratios for meeting FV, PA, and SB guidelines were calculated using the Extended Gastwirth Index Method. Linear regressions, one-way analysis of variance, and posthoc tests assessed change in characteristic-specific disparities over the years. Linear and quadratic trends assessed change in characteristic-specific contributions to overall disparities. Results: Sex-specific and age-specific disparities increased for meeting FV and PA and decreased for meeting SB guidelines. Race/ethnicity-specific disparities decreased for meeting FV and SB guidelines. Characteristics-specific contributions to overall disparities for each behavior changed over the years. Conclusions: Disparities in obesogenic behaviors are still an ongoing concern despite national-level efforts to improve adolescents' behaviors. The methodology allowed for meaningful disparities ratios that facilitated comparison of categorical demographic characteristics across the years and identifying targetable intervention groups to reduce disparities.