Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Jirina Renger

Abstract

In Guam, a United States Pacific Island territory, the rate of obesity in adults continues to rise. Relationships between obesity and six socioeconomic factors (health care coverage, education level, employment status, home ownership, household income, and marital status) in adults 25 to 54 years of age living in Guam in 2020 were explored. Because obesity may be affected at multiple levels of influence, the socioecological model grounded this research. Secondary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was used to carry out a quantitative, cross-sectional study. Complex samples binary logistic regression analyses were carried out to determine if there were significant relationships between obesity and the six socioeconomic factors. Significant associations were found between obesity and four of the socioeconomic factors: health care coverage (Wald 2 (1) = 10.167, p = .001), employment status (Wald 2 (1) = 7.741, p = .005), education level (Wald 2 (3) = 35.731, p < .001), and household income level (Wald 2 (4) = 56.034, p < .001). The results of the analyses showed that associations between obesity and homeownership (Wald 2(2) = 3.025, p = .220), as well as obesity and marital status were not significant (Wald 2 (1) = 1.459, p = .227). This study promotes positive social change by contributing to the limited body of knowledge regarding obesity in adults in Guam. Additionally, it increases awareness pertaining to factors that influence the island’s obesity rates. Public health practitioners can use this research to guide future investigations and to create targeted programs and policies that will successfully reduce the rates of obesity in adults in Guam.

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