Factors Associated with Health Disparities Among Black/African American Women in Connecticut

Page 1 OBJECTIVES: This study identified health behaviors and outcomes in the adult female Black/ African American population of Connecticut with significant disparities relative to their White counterparts, and determined the degree to which the health behaviors and outcomes could be explained by age and social factors of health. METHODS: Multivariate logistic regression was performed on eight health behaviors and outcomes with significant risk differences (p < 0.01) between adult women in the Black/African American and White populations. Data were obtained from the Connecticut Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2011 and 2012 surveys, combined (n=8,561). Covariates considered in the regression models included race, age, income, level of education, insurance status, and overweight/obesity. RESULTS: Race as a covariate made an insignificant contribution to the regression model (p  0.05) for four of the eight indicators studied, when age, income, overweight/obesity, insurance status, and/or educational level were included in the regression model. The contribution of race to the regression was weakened in the remaining four health indicators. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that disparities in health among adult Black/African American women of Connecticut can be fully or partly explained by factors such as age, income, educational level, insurance status, or overweight/obesity.