Association between Selected Unhealthy Lifestyle Factors, Body Mass Index, and Chronic Health Conditions among Individuals 50 Years of Age

Results: Of 442,167 BRFSS respondents who met our study criteria, 81.6% were nonHispanic (NH) White, 8.4% were NH Black, 1.6% were NH Asian, 1.0% were NH American Indian, and 7.4% were Hispanic. Within each racial/ethnic group, weight status as measured by BMI was strongly associated with all five health conditions examined and particularly with diabetes, hypertension, and doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Among NH Whites and NH Blacks, those who were overweight or obese were significantly more likely than those of normal weight to have diabetes (NH Whites: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 5 1.94 and 5.25, respectively; NH Blacks: AOR 5 1.87 and 3.36, respectively). Among obese NH Asians, NH American Indians, and Hispanics, the AORs for diabetes were 3.97, 4.15, and 2.67, respectively. The AORs for hypertension among those who were overweight and obese, respectively, were1.78 and 3.47 among NH Whites; 1.65 and 2.98 among NH Blacks, 1.91 and 7.14 among NH Asians, 2.00 and 2.65 among NH American Indians, and 1.48 and 3.20 among Hispanics.