Race and Gender Differences in Obesity and Disease

The objective of the present study was to examine race and gender differences in obesity and disease overtime. This topic is under studies in racial/ethnic minority populations. Yet, gender differences in health within ethnic groups provide a more nuanced approach to health disparities. The analyses for this study were based on two waves of data (Wave1, 1986 and Wave 2, 1989) of the Americans’ Changing Lives Survey. The results revealed that a larger percentage of females are obese compared to males across all racial groups and females suffer a higher prevalence of disease compared to males which persists across time. The implications for cumulative disadvantage theory, feminist theory and the measurement of BMI and body fat are discussed.