Research Symposium

BIO

Hello, I am Brooke Bodkin and I am a second year exercise physiology student at Florida State University. I have worked really hard this past year with my research mentor, Dr. Tyra Dark, to create statistical analysis' that will help us find if there is any relationship within differing health conditions, specifically poverty and obesity. This information will be used to benefit public health knowledge, and hopefully allow communities to identify solutions to lead to greater wellbeing of their residents.

Does Poverty Increase Risk of Obesity? How Family Income to Poverty Ratio Relates to BMI

Abstract

Economic hardship has been associated with many varieties of health concerns. Specifically, this study aims to find evidence relating poverty experiences to obesity. This information can be useful to allow healthcare providers more knowledge on how to best serve their communities. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study from 2017-2020 (pre-pandemic) was analyzed. The participants were categorized in one of five categories based on the ratio of family income to poverty; they were also split into four categories based on their body mass index (BMI) category. The populations and ratios of these different groups were compared for association. Data was further broken down by genders and races. All data found a significant relationship between a person’s poverty ratio and their BMI category. These socioeconomic hardships are related to obesity within communities. This data can be useful in aiding healthcare providers in keeping their communities healthier and safer.

Keywords: Poverty, Obesity, Community, Public health