Obesity in African Americans

By: Eric Campos & Davontay Jacob

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What exactly is Obesity?Obesity is an abnormal accumulation of body

fat , usually 30% or more over individual’s body weight.

Obesity-a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher.

There are exceptions, for example, athletesObesity is being classified as an epidemic.

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BMI =

(weight in pounds * 703 )

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height in inches²

What is a Disparity? A Disparity is when something is not equal.A health Disparity is when a certain group

(race) has a greater percentage of a condition compared to the entire information givers as a whole (state).

Our Disparity is Obesity among African Americans in Massachusetts.

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Why is Obesity a Disparity?Obesity is a disparity among African

Americans in Massachusetts, in 2009 64.2% of African Americans were Obese, compared to the 42% cumulative of the rest of the state.

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What does Obesity cause?Obesity leads to many health complications,

for example:Heart DiseaseStrokeType 2 diabetesHigh blood pressureAllergiesAnd even Cancers

Prostate cancerColon Cancer

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The Severe complicationsThe Cholesterol build up among people that are obese also causes heart disease.High blood pressure comes into play because of the high levels of salt that many people consume.Obesity is the second leading preventable cause of death in the united states and may soon overtake tobacco usage as leading cause

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Factors of ObesityThere are many factors that contribute to

Obesity and that makes it a very complex health issue.

Among the most important causes and factors;

Behavior and CultureEnvironmentGeneticsLack of SleepEmotional Instability

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BehaviorSpend many hours in front of the Television.Less demand for physical activity in school.Passive and Active exercise are both

becoming harder to get around to.

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CultureSoul food that has been passed down from

slave ancestry is a big factor. Soul food contains a lot of salt and grease as it was survival food and that energy was needed.

African American men tend to look for women of larger body sizes.

Environment Lack of recreation areas like gyms , parks,

and trails.Work loads and long shifts tend to take time

from physical activities. Over sized food portions in America from

restaurants and fast food.Wealthier communities have three times

more super-markets that lower income communities.

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Genetics A called “thrifty gene” that came from

ancestors whose environment was unpredictable and where food was scarce has been passed on and now it is unnecessary and causing obesity in large numbers.

Your genes also may affect the amount of fat you store in your body and where on your body you carry the extra fat.

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Emotions and Lack of SleepEmotional instability has a huge impact on

weight gain and obesitySleep loss has been seen to correlate to

weight gain as well.

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PreventionThere are many ongoing efforts to control

this widespread disease.Exercise and healthy eating are the root of

the prevention.30-60 minutes of exercise a day, 4-5 days a

week, or 150 to 250 minutes of exercise a week.

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Big stepsMichelle Obama’s “Lets move” campaign has

launched as an effort to end childhood obesity in America.

By making healthy food more affordableFocusing on exerciseImproving the quality of school lunchAnd getting informed on nutrition.

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In Conclusion:Why does it affect African Americans more?The socioeconomic status of African Americans

has a big impact on the food that they consume. And their lifestyles

Some African American cultures are less prone to start unhealthy dieting and exercising habits, or even starting to exercise at all

African American societies don’t judge as harshly about body weight as do other societies.

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Sources National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. What causes overweight and Obesity. (July

9, 2011) Retrieved from; http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/obe/obe_causes.html

Buzzle.com. Causes of obesity in America. (July 9 2011) Retrieved from; http://www.buzzle.com/articles/causes-of-obesity-in-america.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overweight and Obesity. (July 9, 2011)Retrieved from; http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/causes/index.html

StateHealthFacts.org. Overweight and Obesity Rates for Adults by Race/Ethnicity, 2010. (July 12 2011) Retrieved from; http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=91&cat=2&sort=a&gsa=2

The Office of Minority Health. Obesity and African Americans. (July 15, 2011)Retrieved from; http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=6456

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Differences in Prevalence of Obesity Among Black, White, and Hispanic Adults --- United States, 2006—2008. (July 15, 2011) Retrieved From; http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5827a2.htm

IMDiversity.com. Obesity, Lifestyles and African Americans - What are the Correlations?. Date N/A) Retrieved From; http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/african/family_lifestyle_traditions/bpr_obesity1127.asp

NETWellness. African American Health, African Americans and Diet. Retrieved From; http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/aahealth/healthybody.cfm

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