Pathways between race, structural racism, and obesity across census tracts in the United States
Authors' conclusion
AA and NHW had a positive direct relationship with obesity, whereas Asians had a negative relationship. For AAs, there was a strong positive indirect relationship via structural racism. For NHWs and Asians, there was a negative indirect relationship via structural racism. Based on these results, structural racism and its impact on obesity are more pronounced for AA compared to other racial/ethnic groups.
Study context
- Population
- Census tracts across 201 counties within 38 US states; obesity prevalence from CDC PLACES data, structural racism by structural racism effect index (SREI), race/ethnicity proportions from Census data
- Participants
- 11,457 census tracts
- Outcome
- Direct and indirect pathways between race/ethnicity, structural racism and obesity prevalence
Methodological detailscensus tract–level, structural equation modelling
- Census tract–level
- Structural equation modelling
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Obesity prevalence: direct and indirect associations (structural equation modelling)
- Mean prevalence of obesity
- 31.8%
- Structural racism, direct association with higher obesity
- 0.70, p < 0.001
- AA race, direct association with higher obesity
- 0.67, p < 0.001
- AA race, indirect association with obesity via structural racism
- 0.23, p < 0.001
- Non-Hispanic white (NHW), direct association with higher obesity
- 0.47, p < 0.001
- NHW, association with lower structural racism
- −0.43, p < 0.001
- Hispanic race, direct association with higher obesity
- 0.32, p < 0.001
- Asian race, direct association with lower obesity
- −0.06, p < 0.001
- Asian race, association with lower structural racism
- −0.29, p < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Pathways between race, structural racism, and obesity across census tracts in the United States. Diabetes Obes Metab. Published 18 February 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →