Socio-Economic Factors in Disease Rates: A Longitudinal Study of Obesity, Diabetes and Heart Disease in Mississippi
Shaloam Dasari1, Ph.D, Sheeba Ogirala2, Chaza Fares Abdul-Al2, Wenli Wang3, Paul B Tchounwou1
1Jackson State University, 1400 John R. Lynch St, Jackson, MS
2Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, Harrisburg, PA
3Robert Morris University, 6001 University Blvd, Moon, PA
Obesity is among the leading causes of many chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and elevated mortality from heart disease. In this longitudinal study, associations between obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in the state of Mississippi in 2005 - 2017 are examined using regression analysis. The study collected data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Data of individuals of different socio-economic status were collected for the state of Mississippi from 2005 to 2017. Socio-economic factors such as age, race, level of education, and household income are found to affect chronic disease rates in obesity, diabetes, and heart disease considerably with many significant associations. Data analysis of the disease rates showed that obesity and cardiovascular disease are highly related. Risk of the cardiovascular condition is higher for low income, less educated population, and certain ethnic groups. The proportion of people affected by obesity, heart disease, and diabetes is increasing and this finding highlights certain issues in oncology. Keywords— Obesity, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Socio Economic factors.