Hardship and Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Ecological Analysis in Chicagoland Adults

Obesity remains a major public health concern in the United States, with disproportionately high prevalence in low socioeconomic status communities. Chicago communities experience elevated rates of both economic hardship and obesity. The present study used a cross-sectional ecological design to examine the relationship between socioeconomic hardship and adult obesity rates in Chicago, and evaluated physical inactivity as a mediator. Using publicly available data from the Chicago Health Atlas, analyses were conducted across 75 Chicago community areas (N = 75). Community-level hardship was operationalized using the Chicago Hardship Index, obesity was measured as the percentage of adults with a body mass index of 30 or greater, and physical inactivity was defined as the percentage of adults reporting no physical activity in the past month. Bivariate correlations and a mediation model were tested using Hayes’ PROCESS Macro. Results indicated that hardship was positively associated with obesity and physical inactivity. Physical inactivity significantly mediated the relationship between hardship and obesity, accounting for a substantial proportion of the association while retaining a significant direct effect. Correlational analyses revealed higher obesity rates amongst Black residents and females. Findings suggest that unmet basic needs in economically disadvantaged communities may impede engagement in health-promoting behaviors such as physical activity. These results highlight the importance of addressing structural and environmental barriers to physical activity when designing obesity prevention strategies. Policy and community-level interventions that target economic hardship and promote accessible opportunities for physical activity may be critical for reducing obesity-related health disparities in urban populations.