College
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences
Date of Last Revision
2026-04-30 09:18:41
Major
Biomedical Science
Honors Course
BIOL 499
Number of Credits
2
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2026
Abstract
Obesity is a major public health concern in the United States that is projected to increase exponentially over the next few years. Obesity is commonly associated with a lower socioeconomic status. Lower-income individuals tend to be supported by Medicaid, a federal insurance program for low-income Americans. Prior studies have shown a positive correlation between income status and obesity prevalence. Our goal was to find if there was a correlation between Medicaid patients and obesity in Northeast Ohio, to provide physicians with a set of characteristics to better combat obesity, since preventative and treatment guidelines are tailored to national trends. We analyzed data from a local clinic to see if there was any correlation between obesity, Medicaid, and other sub-categories: age, sex, and residency. No correlation was found between the prevalence of obesity and insurance type.
Research Sponsor
Dr. Brian Bagatto
First Reader
Mary Margaret Torrance
Second Reader
Dr. Nancy Naghavi
Honors Faculty Advisor
Dr. Brian Bagatto
Proprietary and/or Confidential Information
No
Community Engaged Scholarship
No
Recommended Citation
Kelley, Emmie and Kheder, Sophie, "The Connection between Medicaid and Obesity in Northeast Ohio" (2026). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 2154.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/2154
Included in
Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons, Medical Nutrition Commons, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Commons, Other Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, Population Health Commons, Quality Improvement Commons, Social Statistics Commons