Table 4.
Multiple linear regression analysis of ethnic differences in risk factors for body mass index (BMI).
| Characteristics | Whites | Latinos | Asians | African Americans | Largest difference between the β's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| β (SE) | β (SE) | β (SE) | β (SE) | ||
| Gender | |||||
| Male (ref) | |||||
| Female | −1.20 (0.09) ∗∗∗ | 0.15 (0.27) | −1.59 (0.27) ∗∗∗ | 0.61 (0.42) | 0.39 (Whites-Asians) |
| Age in years | |||||
| 18–44 (ref) | |||||
| 45–64 | 1.17 (0.12) ∗∗∗ | 1.26 (0.29) ∗∗∗ | 0.52 (0.26) ∗ | 0.87 (0.43) ∗ | 0.74 (Latinos-Asians) |
| 65+ | −0.17 (0.14) | −0.87 (0.42) ∗ | 0.29 (0.45) | −2.00 (0.61) ∗∗ | 1.13 (Latinos-African Americans) |
| Employment | |||||
| No (ref) | |||||
| Yes | 0.11 (0.12) | −0.09 (0.32) | 0.54 (0.28) | −2.29 (0.44) | — |
| Physical activity | |||||
| No (ref) | |||||
| Yes | −0.97 (0.09) ∗∗∗ | −0.46 (0.29) | 0.28 (0.23) | −1.40 (0.40) ∗∗ | 0.43 (Whites-African Americans) |
| Smoking status | |||||
| Never (ref) | |||||
| Current | −0.28 (0.14) | 0.20 (0.34) | 0.20 (0.39) | −0.78 (0.50) | |
| Past | 0.41 (0.10) ∗∗∗ | 0.47 (0.26) | 0.48 (0.37) | 1.17 (0.52) ∗ | 0.76 (African Americans-Whites) |
| Binge drinking | |||||
| No (ref) | |||||
| Infrequent | −0.02 (0.14) | 0.10 (0.31) | 1.27 (0.41) ∗∗ | 0.63 (0.62) | — |
| Frequent | −0.20 (0.17) | 0.001 (0.38) | 0.62 (0.51) | 1.82 (0.75) ∗ | — |
| Arthritis | |||||
| No (ref) | |||||
| Yes | 1.37 (0.11) ∗∗∗ | 1.88 (0.36) ∗∗∗ | 1.28 (0.31) ∗∗∗ | 1.51 (0.51) ∗∗ | 0.60 (Latinos-Asians) |
| Diabetes medicine intake | |||||
| No (ref) | |||||
| Yes | 4.42 (0.22) ∗∗∗ | 2.01 (0.33) ∗∗∗ | 2.12 (0.44) ∗∗∗ | 3.40 (0.71) ∗∗∗ | 2.41 (Whites-Latinos) |
| Serious psychological distress | |||||
| No (ref) | |||||
| Yes | 0.30 (0.31) | 0.13 (0.47) | −0.27 (0.47) | 1.12 (1.24) | — |
SE, standard error.
Notes. Sampling weights were used in analysis. Results in bold indicate to be statistically significant.
∗ P < 0.05, ∗∗P < 0.01, and ∗∗∗P < 0.001.