Trends and disparities in provider diagnosis of overweight analysis of NHANES 1999-2004

Rates of overweight and obesity are disproportionately high within minority populations. This study examined the trends in provider diagnosis of overweight from 1999 to 2004 and examined whether there were differences in provider diagnosis based on race/ethnicity. We examined data from 4,071 adults with BMI 30 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (1999-2004). Provider diagnosis was determined by self-report. From 1999 to 2004, the provider diagnosis of overweight decreased from 71 to 64% (P = 0.003). After controlling for potential confounders, non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican Americans were less likely to report a provider diagnosis of overweight compared to non-Hispanic whites. Odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) for non-Hispanic blacks was 0.6 (95% CI, 0.4-0.8) and for Mexican Americans was 0.7 (95% CI, 0.4-1.0) compared to non-Hispanic whites. Reasons for this disparity warrant further investigation.