Biogeographic Ancestry Is Associated with Higher Total Body Adiposity among African-American Females: The Boston Area Community Health Survey

Goonesekera Sunali D.
Fang Shona C.
Piccolo Rebecca S.
Florez Jose C.
McKinlay John B.

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Publication date

April 2015

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0122808

Publisher

Public Library of Science

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity is disproportionately higher among African-Americans and Hispanics as compared to whites. We investigated the role of biogeographic ancestry (BGA) on adiposity and changes in adiposity in the Boston Area Community Health Survey.We evaluated associations between BGA, assessed via Ancestry Informative Markers, and adiposity (body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (PBF), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)) and changes in adiposity over 7 years for BMI and WHR and 2.5 years for PBF, per 10% greater proportion of BGA using multivariable linear regression. We also examined effect-modification by demographic and socio-behavioral variables.-interaction: <0.003) with inverse associations among participants with higher Healthy Ea...