By Hugh C. McBride
It’s no secret that the United States has a problem with weight.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced obese and overweight Americans account for 66.7 percent of the nation’s adult population. About 72 million American adults have body mass index scores of 30 or above (indicating obesity), and another 69 million have BMIs in the 25.0 to 29.9 (overweight) category.
But what many people are not aware of is that, as bad as these statistics are for the general population, weight rates among the nation’s two largest ethnic minority groups are even worse.
According to the American Obesity Association (AOA), the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the African-American and Hispanic-American communities is higher than it is among the nation’s Caucasian population.
Almost eight out of 10 adult African-American women are overweight, as are about 75 percent of adult Mexican-American men. Overweight and obesity rates are also higher among impoverished populations than they are within more financially secure communities.
Highlights of the AOA’s report on obesity rates among ethnic minorities include the following:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health provided the following statistical glimpse into the state of weight among ethnic minority populations:
Because minority and impoverished populations are less likely to have access to quality health care, these statistics paint a particularly foreboding picture of the health futures of the African-American and Hispanic-American communities.
“The obesity epidemic is one of the major health challenges facing our nation, and African American communities are highly affected by this disease and its health consequences,” Mike Leavitt, then the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said in an April 7, 2005 press release that announced an anti-obesity initiative that was targeted toward minority communities.
“Obesity is a risk factor for many diseases which disproportionately impact minority populations, including heart disease, some cancers, diabetes, and stroke,” Dr. Garth Graham, then the HHS deputy assistant secretary for minority health, said in the same release. “Because these problems affect multiple groups, we will also be announcing a second phase of the initiative in the near future, which will focus on reducing obesity among Hispanic populations.”
As Dr. Graham noted, overweight and obese individuals are at greater risk for developing a wide range of diseases and health conditions. According to information posted on the CDC website, the negative effects of excess weight include the following:
The American Heart Association has reported that more than 40 percent of African-American adults have hypertension. And though obviously not every one of these cases can be attributed to obesity and overweight, excess weight does put a person at higher risk of developing this condition.
Also, the American Diabetes Association has reported that African-American men and women are 1.6 times more likely to have diabetes than are non-Latino white adults. The ADA also notes that 25 percent of African-American women over the age of 55 have diabetes.
The Net Wellnesswebsite, a repository of consumer health information that represents a joint venture by the University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, and Case Western Reserve University, reports that heightened obesity rates among minority populations are likely caused by a combination of cultural, hereditary, and environmental causes.
An Aug. 8, 2008 article by Susan Brink that appeared in the Health section of the L.A. Times website notes that some environmental causes may have a particularly negative effect:
In a review of 22 studies published in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health, researchers found that advertisers specifically target African Americans with unhealthy food messages.
In television and print, high-fat, high-calorie foods are more heavily promoted to African Americans.
Television shows popular among black audiences run a greater number of food commercials than do general-audience shows. And the commercials themselves are more likely to pitch foods higher in calories and lower in nutritional value to black viewing audiences.
To combat these and other less-than-desirable influences, a number of awareness and education programs, such as the DHSS effort describe above, have been developed to help ethnic minority communities reduce rates of obesity and increase overall quality of life.
In addition to addressing specific issues that are applicable to the cultural, geographic, and genetic realities faced by the targeted populations, most directed obesity-reduction efforts promote following a balanced, healthy, and nutritious diet, and getting appropriate amounts of exercise on a regular basis.