Obesity Among Young American Indian Adults In North Dakota

Obesity among American Indian young adults is a significant health problem. There is an increase in the prevalence rate of diseases associated with obesity which tend to have high medical costs and high mortality rates. Fruit and vegetable consumption, exercise, gender andEducation are factors which could affect obesity among American Indians. Therefore, the primary purpose of the current study was to determine if there was an association between certain factors (fruit and vegetable consumption, exercise, gender andEducation level) and obesity among young American Indian adults in North Dakota. The secondary purpose was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in obesity prevalence between American Indian young adults and non-American Indian young adults in North Dakota. Secondary data from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey was used for the study. Binary logistic regression analysis odds ratio was used to analyze the data in the study. Exercise,Education and fruit and vegetable consumption did not show statistical significance. Gender was the only statistically significant factor. Recommendations were made for the specific population and future studies based on the results of the study.