Children who report personal experiences of racial discrimination are likelier to develop obesity, a study has found.
Seven researchers published the study Tuesday in JAMA Network Open. They compared the waist circumference, height, weight and self-reported experiences of racism of 6,463 youths ages 9 to 11 who participated in a national survey from 2017 to 2020.
The study found that children who reported more frequent experiences of racial taunting, harassment and prejudice during a one-year period from 2017 to 2019 recorded a wider waistline and higher body mass index (the ratio of weight to height) during the following year from 2018 to 2020.
The study builds on emerging research showing that racism puts children at higher risk of poor mental and physical health, said co-author Adolfo Cuevas, an assistant professor in the Center for Anti-Racism, Social Justice & Public Health at New York University.
“Children who are exposed to discrimination have higher levels of [the steroid hormone] cortisol, unhealthy eating habits, poor sleep quality and poor mental health. These are known risk factors to obesity,” Mr. Cuevas told The Washington Times, summarizing the data.
Since children cannot change their race or ethnicity, he added, the study urges adults to protect them from feeling helpless and hopeless by shielding them from racism.
“It is crucial for researchers, clinicians, educators and policymakers to join forces with communities in order to establish a range of evidence-based strategies aimed at preventing exposure to racial discrimination,” Mr. Cuevas said.
The findings also add to data showing the same link in adult minorities, the study noted.
The World Health Organization website defines the state of being overweight or obese as having “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.”
Of the 6,463 children who participated in the national survey, 146 (2.3%) were Asian or Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 679 (10.5%) identified as Black, 1,173 (18.1%) as Hispanic or Latino of any race and 19 (0.3%) were American Indian. An additional 3,860 (59.7%) were White, 553 (8.6%) were multiracial and 33 (0.5%) described their race as other.
The study found obesity was highest among participating children from the lowest income levels. It was lowest among children from wealthy families and among those with parents holding a graduate degree.
The study also found the link between perceived racial discrimination and obesity persisted among children from wealthier and better-educated families.
“By understanding how intersecting identities relate to discrimination experiences and health outcomes, we can develop more targeted and effective interventions to reduce health disparities,” the researchers wrote.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.