Impact of social determinants of health on obesity among American Indian and Alaska Native young adults

We examined the prevalence of obesity among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) young adults and to investigate the association between key social determinants of health (SDOH) and higher body mass index (BMI). We used the Indian Health Service Improving Delivery Data Project from fiscal year 2013. It includes data for 20,698 AIAN young adults aged 18-24 years. We added county-level measures of SDOH from the USDA Food Environment Atlas and the Census as contextual variables. We conducted stratified logistic regressions to understand the relationship between these SDOH indicators and odds of obesity. Thirty-seven percent of our sample was identified as obese (i.e., BMI ≥30). Individuals who lived in counties with lower levels of educational attainment and higher levels of poverty had higher odds of obesity than those who lived in counties with higher education and lower poverty (p < 0.0001). Counties with higher poverty rates had less access to social and environmental resources than the lower poverty rate counties (p < 0.0001). Federal and state governments should increase access to education and economic development opportunities to positively impact health outcomes.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
PLoS ONE
Published
2025-05-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322164
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.63

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Impact of social determinants of health on obesity among American Indian and Alaska Native young adults

Jenny Chang, Nathania Tsosie, Margaret Reid, Luohua Jiang et al.
2 citations
PLoS ONE
Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
5.63
article

Impact of social determinants of health on obesity among American Indian and Alaska Native young adults

Jenny Chang, Nathania Tsosie, Margaret Reid, Luohua Jiang, Spero M. Manson, Amber L. Fyfe‐Johnson, Angela G. Brega, John F. Steiner, Tassy Parker, Michelle Johnson-Jennings, Joan O’Connell, Vanessa Y. Hiratsuka, Kimberly R. Huyser
article en
2 citations

Abstract

We examined the prevalence of obesity among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) young adults and to investigate the association between key social determinants of health (SDOH) and higher body mass index (BMI). We used the Indian Health Service Improving Delivery Data Project from fiscal year 2013. It includes data for 20,698 AIAN young adults aged 18-24 years. We added county-level measures of SDOH from the USDA Food Environment Atlas and the Census as contextual variables. We conducted stratified logistic regressions to understand the relationship between these SDOH indicators and odds of obesity. Thirty-seven percent of our sample was identified as obese (i.e., BMI ≥30). Individuals who lived in counties with lower levels of educational attainment and higher levels of poverty had higher odds of obesity than those who lived in counties with higher education and lower poverty (p < 0.0001). Counties with higher poverty rates had less access to social and environmental resources than the lower poverty rate counties (p < 0.0001). Federal and state governments should increase access to education and economic development opportunities to positively impact health outcomes.

PLoS ONEVol. 20(5)
Washington State Department of Health (US), Kaiser Permanente (US), University of British Columbia (CA), Southcentral Foundation (US), Colorado School of Public Health (US), University of New Mexico (US), University of California, Irvine (US), Trinity Southwest University (US), Native Health (US), Indigenous Language Institute (US), University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (US)
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, National Institutes of Health
No poverty
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
5.63
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.