Obesity in African American Women Despite the well-publicized health and emotional consequences of obesity, a successful weight-loss industry, and a high rate of voluntary dieting, the prevalence of obesity in African American women continues to increase. For the most part, African American women are aware of the serious health risks related to obesity. Honest attempts to diet and exercise properly usually resulted in gaining of the weight loss and additional pounds in the process. A limited number of studies suggest that African American women maybe less motivated to control their weight because of culturally determined, permissive attitudes toward obesity (Kumanyika & Guilford-Davis, 1993). In fact a select few of obese African American women may feel more attractive about their bodies than women of other races may. The African American culture appears to be more accepting of obesity than other cultures in society. On the other hand, African American women experience great social pressure in respect to body size and receive painful accounts of ridicule (Averett & Sanders, 1996). Obese African American women have also been linked to the lower socioeconomic status in regards having the means to purchase nutritional foods for a proper diet. The stigma attached to obesity causes African American women to feel shame and guilt of self-blame (Crocker, Cornwell, & Major, 1993). Emotionally, African American women tend to blame themselves for their obesity and will become withdrawn. Therefore, African American women may begin to experience insecurities and low self-esteem. There are several serious health risks that are associated with obesity. Obese African American women experience a high rate of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and an array of other long-term critical health problems. Over years of time obesity can be fatal. Gradual weight loss can help to reverse risk factors and add years to live a healthier life. Social Context Obesity is more prevalent among African American women in the lower socioeconomic status. Characteristics of being subject to lower economic status included poorer education, income levels, less likely to have private insurance with no real source of regular medical care (Rajaram, 1998). Therefore low-income African American women are less educated on proper diet and exercise. The U.S. Department of Agr... ... middle of paper ... ...on. The Journal of Nutrition, 131(3). Morrison, T. G., O’Connor, W. E. (1999). Psychometric properties of a scale measuring negative attitudes toward overweight individuals. The Journal of Social Psychology, 139(4), 436-445. Pinfitore, R., Dugoni. B. L., Tindale, R. S., Spring, B. (1994). Bias against overweight job applicants in a simulated employment interview. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(6), 909-917. Quaye, R. (1994). The health care status of african americans. Black Scholar, 24(2), 12-18. Quinn, D. M., Crocker, J. (1999). When ideology hurts effects of belief in the protestant ethic and feeling overweight on the psychological well being of women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(2), 402-414. Rajaram, S. S., Vinson, V. (1998). African american women and diabetes: a sociocultural context. Journal of Health Care for the Poor & Underserved, 9(3), 236-247. Ross, C. E. (1999). Overweight and depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 35(1), 63-79. Stearns, J. M., Borna, S., Sundaram, S. (2001). The effects of obesity, gender and specialty on perceptions of physicians’ social influence. Journal of Services Marketing 15(3), 240-250.
In Andre Dubus’ The Fat Girl, Louise is a young adolescent with detrimental eating habits and broken self-esteem. Her lack of self-confidence stems from her atrocious emotional habitat. Louise receives constant criticism from her mother regarding her weight. Her mother states “If you are fat the boys won’t like you.” That kind of ridicule being said by a mother to her 9 year old daughter creates an atmosphere of self-hatred and self-loathing. It is not only her familial environment that contributes so greatly to Louise’s destructive behavior. She has few friends and the one’s she does have agree she needs to change. The society in which she lives also is a contributing factor; the society is laden with stigmas positioned on appearance. That manner of daily ridicule only introverts Louise even more, causing her secretive, binge eating to deteriorate. In research conducted by Ursula Polli-Potts PhD, Links between Psychological Symptoms and Disordered Eating behaviors in Obese Youths, she explains the correlation between psychological, emotional factors and eating disorders in overweight adolescents. Potts states, “The association between binge eating symptoms and eating in response to feelings of distress and sadness with depression/anxiety symptoms corresponds with the results of other studies.” Potts and her colleagues took overweight adolescents and placed them into control and variable groups to ensure correct data. The outcome of their research was that there is a direct correlation with emotional binge eating and psychological factors. Although more extensive research needs to be implemented, Potts and associates were pleased with the results of the case studies.
Kolotkin, Ronette L., Head, Susan, Hamilton, Michael, and Tse, Chiu-Kit J.. "Assessing Impact …..of Weight on Quality of Life." Obesity Research 3.1 (1995): 49-56. 6 Sept. 2012.
Among African American women, trusting in the health care and medical research has become to a lower level. Studies show that obesity rates in black raced women which are enhanced by risk factors, shows that approximately 40% moderately and severely overweight women considered their figures to be attractive or very attractive, which indicates a relatively positive body image (S, Kumanyika, 1987). Adding to this as Gay is a black raced woman who is obese, still feels proud of her own body image, no matter how big she may-be she is still proud of her body and appearance. Gay quotes, “When you’re overweight, your body becomes a matter of public record in many respects. Your body is constantly and prominently on display. People project assumed narratives onto your body and are not at all interested in the truth of your body, whatever that truth might be” (Gay, p.120). This shows that no matter what her body looks like people will always be judging you depending on your body image in
Sharpe, D. A Culturally Targeted Self-Management Program for African Americans with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. (2012, December 15). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
According to Viladrich, Yeh, Bruning, and Weiss (2009) research suggests that Latinas are more tolerant of heavier female figures, and therefore suffer from less body dissatisfaction than white women do. However, the thin-ideal concept is still quite present in them. Researchers also dispute that an increased occurrence of obesity/overweight in Latinas has steered them to the belief that Hispanic culture is more lenient of heavier figures. Six focus groups were conducted in New York and were divided into two sections. The first addressed the participants’ cultural and personal influences correlated to their opinions of body weight and shape including their
The American Public Health Association. (2003). The obesity epidemic in U.S. minority communities (Issue Brief ). Retrieved from : : .
Interest in the social aspects of obesity is nothing new. Jeffrey Sobal has written extensively about the social and psychological consequences of obesity , including the stigmatisation and discrimination of obese and even overweight individuals (Sobal 2004).
Puhl, Rebecca, and Kelly D. Brownell. "Ways of Coping with Obesity Stigma: Review and Conceptual Analysis." Eating Behaviors 4.1 (2003): 53-78. Web.
Over 60 million people are obese in the world today. The socioeconomic statuses of the Americans play a major part in the obesity rates across the country. People with higher incomes are less likely to be obese than people with lower incomes. One in every seven preschool-aged children living in lower income areas are obese (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). A 2008 study showed that obesity is highest among American Indian and Alaska Native (21.2 percent) and Hispanic Americans (18.5 percent) children, and it is lowest among white (12.6 percent), Asian or Pacific Islander (12.3 percent), and black (11.8 percent) children (Get America Fit).
The healthy people 2020 have a broad goal on nutrition and weigh management. An objective in this area is the limitation of consumption of trans fats and saturated fats as well as cholesterol, sodium, added sugars and alcohol. With the health care facility based in largely African American community, a behavioral intervention will be important in primary prevention healthcare teaching program. According to Flegal et. al 2010, the problem of obesity and overweight is experienced more among the African American population as studies have shown African American women of in their 30’s and 40’s is more obese compared to their other counter parts. The same trend is experienced among adolescents and children as African American girls and Mexican American
Childhood obesity is a consequential medical condition that effects the youth and adolescence of society. This disorder creates health problems that were once only seen in adults, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Although childhood obesity is a world wide issue, the percentage of overweight children differs, especially throughout the United States. Today, the greatest population suffering from this disease are African American children who reside in the southern part of the country. Parents, as well as children, continue to support unhealthy lifestyles even though they are well aware of the life-threatening diseases caused by obesity.
The obesity epidemic and our nation’s health as a whole have many factors that include socioeconomic status in particular. Socioeconomic Status and Childhood Obesity will always shape our nations vision and mission with what we do with healthcare. Healthcare in America is in a major reconstruction faze, and is in much need of it, obesity and socioeconomic status are going to be the major contributors to this reconstruction.
Since 1970, the obesity rates in America have more than doubled. Currently two-thirds of (roughly 150 million) adults in the United States are either overweight, or obese (Food Research and Action Center). According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 whereas obesity is defined as a BMI greater than 30.” There are numerous factors that contribute to obesity such as: biological, behavioral and cultural influences (Food Research and Action Center). While these factors all have a large role in obesity, there is no factor with as great of an influence as poverty.
For my cultural interview, I decided to interview an African American male of age 49, who is suffering from chronic diabetes mellitus. This disorder has caused a significant
Physical beauty is constructed by the society that we live in. We are socialized from a very young age to aspire to become what our culture deems ideal. Living in the United States, as in many other Western cultures, we are expected to be well-educated, maintain middle-class or upper-class status, be employed as well as maintain a physical standard of beauty. Although beauty is relative to each culture, it is obvious that we as Americans, especially women, are expected to be maintain a youthful appearance, wear cosmetics and fashionable clothes, but most importantly: not to be overweight. Our society is socially constructed to expect certain physical features to be the norm, anything outside this is considered deviant. Obesity is defined as outside the norms of our culture's aesthetic norms (Gros). “People who do not match idealized or normative expectations of the body are subjected to stigmatization” (Heckert 32). Obesity is a physical deviance; it is one that is an overwhelming problem in our society as we are always judged daily, by our appearance. Those who do not conform to the standards of beauty, especially when it comes to weight, are stigmatized and suffer at the hands of a society that labels them as deviants.