Internalized racism is associated with elevated fasting glucose in a sample of adult women but not men in Zimbabwe.

OBJECTIVES

Internalized racism (INR) is associated with metabolic abnormalities among African Caribbean women. The current study was conducted to determine if similar associations exist among Black women living in Africa.

METHODS

In 2003, a stratified random sample of Black adults ages > or =18 years was drawn from four high-density suburbs of the city of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. A total of 318 persons (90% of those recruited) participated. Face-to-face interviews were used to gather information on demographic variables, health history, internalized racism, anthropometric measurements and blood pressure. Internalized racism, the extent to which individuals agree with racist stereotypes about their race, was measured with a standardized questionnaire. A fasting blood sugar level was also measured for each participant. Persons with diagnosed diabetes or incomplete data (n=44) were excluded from analyses.

RESULTS

Women (n=188) and men (n=86) did not differ significantly by age, INR score, waist circumference or fasting glucose level. The mean body mass index of women (23.6 kg/m2) was higher (P<.05) than that of men (22.3 kg/m2). INR was significantly correlated with waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure and fasting glucose among women but not among men. In multiple logistic regression analyses using the data for women, a high INR remained independently associated with abnormal fasting glucose (odds ratio=2.74, P=.0085) after adjusting for potential confounders including adiposity.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings show the consistency of the association of high INR with metabolic abnormalities among Black women in the Diaspora.