The environment as well
as economic status, race and culture can potentially have an impact on obesity
rates across the world. In the United States, Mexican-American people tend to be
at a higher risk to have diabetes and become obese. In 2004, a case study similar
to the Framingham cohort was conducted in the border town of Brownsville, Texas
to test if economic advantages or disadvantages had an impact on obesity. Due to its proximity to the border and strong
Hispanic culture, Brownsville was selected for the location of this study and
it became known as the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort.
The 2,000 participants
were divided according to their annual income and categorized as “higher SES”
or “lower SES”. People were also divided into clusters based off of where they
lived. Each participant was measured and weighed so that their BMI could be
calculated as well as their waist circumference. Blood samples were taken from
each person as well. The “wealthiest” 202 participants as well as the “poorest”
202 participants were compared with age and gender also being another factor
included. However, the majority of people that participated were women. It was
noted that age had a strong influence on whether or not a person had diabetes
with people over the age of 55 at a much higher risk. This was especially
prevalent in the lower SES. In addition, it was found that about ten percent of
higher income people had diabetes and about twenty one percent of the lower
income people had diabetes. Overall, the vast majority of people that were used
in this study did not have access to health care and in general the overall health
of much of the Mexican American people in this sample was poor. This suggests
that genetics, age and economic status are correlated with health.
Fisher-Hoch, S. P., Rentfro, A. R., Wilson, J. G., Salinas, J. J., Reininger, B. M., Restrepo, B. I., ... & Hanis, C. M. (2010). Peer Reviewed: Socioeconomic Status and Prevalence of Obesity and Diabetes in a Mexican American Community, Cameron County, Texas, 2004-2007. Preventing chronic disease,7(3).
It would be interesting to see if there were a more even amount of men and women participating. Also, if they were to compare Brownsville to another area close to the border near California or something (where it is considered a wealthier area and the cost of living is higher).
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