AbstractsGeography &GIS

BMI and POPs: association between persistent organic pollutants and increasing obesity prevalence in the United States

by Jennifer Denise Bell




Institution: University of Georgia
Department: Geography
Degree: MS
Year: 2014
Keywords: Obesity
Record ID: 2042982
Full text PDF: http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga_etd/bell_jennifer_d_201405_ms


Abstract

Geospatial analysis was used to analyze obesity prevalence in the United States in 2010 while assessing the effects of income, race, education, and exposure to pollutants to account for the processes behind the socio-spatially uneven increase in obesity across the nation. Ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models were used to determine the influence of these variables on the prevalence of obesity. Similar methodologies were implemented for the state of Louisiana to provide a comparison to nation-wide observations. This research compliments individual-level studies by assessing the spatial interaction between bodies and the environment. Acknowledging health disparities in the United States, results of this work offer an insight into the racial, economic, and educational inequalities that lead to disproportionate exposure to toxins and prevalence of obesity.