Black/White Disparities in Obesity Widen with Increasing Rurality: Evidence from a National Survey

Racial health disparities in obesity and obesity-related conditions and behaviors are well documented, although a small body of research suggests that geographic factors (e.g., socioeconomic status [SES] and rural/urban status) may alter the magnitude of these disparities.

This study explored how rurality moderates black/white health disparities using a nationally representative sample from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n=359,157). Respondents' county of residence was linked to the U.S. Census information to obtain the county-level Index of Relative Rurality (IRR). Weighted logistic regression was used to model obesity, diabetes, and lack of physical activity (PA) on race (black/white), IRR, and an interaction term of race and IRR, including covariates (age, sex, education, marital status, employment, and income).

Blacks were significantly more likely to have obesity, diabetes, and a lack of PA compared with whites. Irrespective of race, rural respondents were significantly more likely to have obesity (odds ratio [OR] 1.035, confidence interval [95% CI] 1.028-1.043) and a lack of PA (OR 1.045, 95% CI 1.038-1.053) than respondents in more urban areas. For obesity and diabetes, the interaction term for black×IRR quintile was significant and positive, indicating an increase in the magnitude of the black/white disparity with increasing rurality.

These findings underscore the need for policies and programs aimed to reduce racial disparities in obesity and related conditions to consider the geographic context in which these outcomes occur.