Obesity has been discussed in previous columns and until recently the topic of obesity has been thought of as mainly a minority issue but in the last ten years obesity has been one of the major health research topics. Small wonder that this is happening until we look at the larger picture of obesity in the United States. The country’s citizens, especially youth, are gaining weight at an unprecedented rate. So much so that more attention appears to being paid to obesity because of health risks that affect the majority population..

Cardiovascular disease and diabetes are very prevalent among people who are obese and Michigan is a state that is widely known as being among the top three over-weight states in the nation. While Black and men are over-weight the research shows that Black women have excess poundage that exceeds that of Black males. One might think that this only occurs among women in lower socio-economic levels but college-educated Black women are still substantially heavier than college-educated White women.

According to Dr. Shiriki, professor of epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, there are many factors that can be looked at to explain obesity and being overweight, like neighborhood. Dr. Shiriki says,

“Even among African Americans there is a lot of residential segregation that affects this population. The services and foods, and physical activity opportunities, target marketing, advertising and other things thought of as environmental causes of obesity, are probably a lot more prevalent in communities where Black people live.”

As we ponder the topic of obesity we must be reminded of the growing love we have for fast food and computers in this country. Could these also be factors that lead to obseity?

Think about it!

Source: Black Issues in Higher Education. January 27, 2005. pp. 25-28.

George T. Rowan, Ph.D. is a professor in the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources at Michigan State University and chairperson of the Ingham County Board of Health.