Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Patrick J. Dunn

Abstract

The general problem is that although the body of research about obesity is robust, there is a lack of research addressing the problem of sarcopenic obesity. Specifically, there is a lack of research examining the statistical significance of the relationship between the independent variables of socioeconomic status, demographic characteristics, and education and the dependent variable of sarcopenic obesity. This research may advance practice and policy by lending support for developing interventions to address factors that have a statistically significant relationship with sarcopenic obesity. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to identify independent variables among socioeconomic, demographic, and education factors which were significantly related to sarcopenic obesity. Participants were 65 years and older and living in the Houston, Texas area, with a sample of 213 included. The theoretical framework was the socioecological model to address three research questions involving what degree education, demographic variables, and socioeconomic status predicted sarcopenic obesity. Data analysis entailed descriptive statistics and binary logistics regression analyses. Results were that socioeconomic, demographic, and education factors do not significantly predict the sarcopenic obesity classification of participants at the .05 level. This study underscores the importance of understanding risk factors associated with sarcopenic obesity and social change via inclusion of socioecological theories in the creation of community health programs.

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