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Haslyn E. R. Hunte, PhD, MPH and David R. Williams, PhD, MPH

At the time of the study, Haslyn E. R. Hunte was with the Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison. David R. Williams is with the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, and the Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard University, Boston.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Haslyn Hunte, PhD, MPH, Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, 800 W Stadium Ave, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2046 (e-mail: hhunte{at}umich.edu).

Objectives. We examined whether perceived chronic discrimination was related to excess body fat accumulation in a random, multiethnic, population-based sample of US adults.

Methods. We used multivariate multinomial logistic regression and logistic regression analyses to examine the relationship between interpersonal experiences of perceived chronic discrimination and body mass index and high-risk waist circumference.

Results. Consistent with other studies, our analyses showed that perceived unfair treatment was associated with increased abdominal obesity. Compared with Irish, Jewish, Polish, and Italian Whites who did not experience perceived chronic discrimination, Irish, Jewish, Polish, and Italian Whites who perceived chronic discrimination were 2 to 6 times more likely to have a high-risk waist circumference. No significant relationship between perceived discrimination and the obesity measures was found among the other Whites, Blacks, or Hispanics.

Conclusions. These findings are not completely unsupported. White ethnic groups including Polish, Italians, Jews, and Irish have historically been discriminated against in the United States, and other recent research suggests that they experience higher levels of perceived discrimination than do other Whites and that these experiences adversely affect their health.