A Brief Note On African American Adults And Obesity

Healthy People 2020 discusses a number of special population’s that have barriers to care including; race, age sex, sexual identity, age, disability, socioeconomic, and location; this post will discuss race (ethnic) group.  There are a number of races mentioned in healthy people 2020, such as, Asian, American Indian, Alaskan, Latino and African American (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). Access to health care in an ethnic group is multifaceted from the lack of trust, lack of health care education, discrimination and cost of care including health insurance. According to Howard, Peace, & Howard (2014), African Americans have a greater risk of three preventable diseases, hypertension, renal failure and bacterial infections stating; “no other disease

In today’s society, there are many different factors that can contribute to one’s overall health and well-being. Since there are so many different factors that can affect one’s health, there are inequalities that exist among people and this is knows as health disparity. "Health disparities are differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States” (Nhlbi.nih.gov, 2015). Health disparities can be associated with factors such as: socioeconomic status, education, gender, race, ethnicity, age, mental health, and religion. There are certain health problems that can affect different groups more than others, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS (Surgeongeneral.gov, 2015). One example of a specific population in the United States that is affected by health disparities is the African American Population. While African Americans are affected by various health disparities, one that affects this population more prominently is heart disease.

Health disparities endure tenacious issues in the United States of America, setting certain groups at higher risk of being uninsured, limited access to care, facing a poorer quality of care, and overall negative health outcomes. The high incidence of health disparities reflects the range of individual, social, economic, racial/ethnic and environmental magnitudes. Among the minority groups, African-Americans disproportionately access health care and the health disparities clearly glow in the nationwide.

Obesity remains an extremely serious issue worldwide. Once considered a problem for wealthier counties, overweight and obesity are now dramatically increasing in low and middle income countries (WHO, 2011). In American, the rates of obesity continue to soar. CDC (2009) recognizes obesity as a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health problems. According to NHANES over two-thirds of the US are overweight or obese, and over one-third are obese (CDC, 2009). Treatment for this illness varies; it may include the incorporation of diet, exercise, behavior modification, medication, and surgery. Since there is no single cause of all overweight and obesity, there is no single way to prevent or treat overweight

While there is no clear definition of what health disparities are, Healthy People 2020 defines them as “differences that occur by gender, race or ethnicity, education or income, disability, geographic location, or sexual orientation” (Adler, 2008). Health disparities are not determined by solely biological differences, but rather more attributed to the environment surrounding a person. The public health industry is so concerned about racial health disparities that stem from the social environment

Obesity presents numerous health risks, both physical and mental. Obesity has been linked to or is a risk factor for many non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease (including stroke and heart) type two diabetes, many cancers (including breast, colorectal….), musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis, depression and mental health disorders. Obesity along with all of the alarming health implications have the ability to

Fried chicken, mash potatoes and collard greens mixed with fatback meat was my family’s favorite Sunday meal. Soul food, as it has been called, is valued by many African American families. Given the worldwide obesity epidemic that appears to be affecting most ethnic groups, there is an appreciation that the causes of obesity among African American families and others must lie in the fundamental aspects of the food supply (Capers, C et al. 2011). In my opinion, African Americans in the United Sates are more likely to be obese because there is a large number of low-income families’ and many are uninsured. According to the Office of Minority Health, African American women have the highest rates of being obese compared to other groups in

Obesity is a world wide problem, however for this paper I will focus on Obesity in America and from my previous paper focus on obesity in my family, other families and what causes people to become obese, whether is financial reasons, environmental reason and genes passed on by family members. I found an article written by Ellen Granberg, she earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt University in 2001. She wrote an article about obesity and weight gain, I chose her article because she doesn’t only focus on Obesity and weight gain but she also talks about African Americans and I consider myself an African American as I am from Africa an to read about obesity as it relates to African American it gives me a better understanding of why most of African Americans are obese.

Setse, R., Grogan, R., Cooper, L., Strobino, D., Powe, N., & Nicholson, W. (2008). Weight loss

I was shocked when I read in our text that obesity in the United States (U.S.) has increased in one decade from 12% to 70% (Knickman & Kover, 2015, p. 125). Obesity is linked to many preventable chronic diseases and pushes health care cost between $147 billion and $210 billion per year (The State of Obesity, 2015). Even though the metric for obesity, the body mass index (BMI) is an old metric for judging health, the data is staggering and needs to be addressed.

Obesity rates increased with the age of the African American women. According to the paper, “women between the ages 18 and 24 were 22.5% overweight and 37% obese, women between the ages of 25 and 34 were 33% overweight and 41% obese, and women between the ages of 35 and 40 were 25% overweight and 50% obese” (Stages of Change and Weight Loss Among Rural African American Women,2001).

Obesity has become the silent killer in American society. It is a risk factor for numerous chronic diseases including the four leading causes of death. Obesity can be linked to stroke, heart disease, cancer and diabetes, all serious health problems that can be fatal. Obesity is linked to 300,000 deaths annually in the industrial world (Flamholz, 2001). Often in society and in the medical community there exists a lack of understanding that obesity is in fact a disease and needs attention, otherwise the rates of many diseases will continue to climb.

Obesity, defined as an excess of body fat, has become a serious public health concern in the United States (Morrill and Chinn 2004). Obesity rates in the United States have more than doubled since the 1960s, where one in eight men and women were estimated to be obese (Fryar et al. 2012). The prevalence of obesity has now jumped to more than one in three men and women in the United States (Ogden et al. 2014; Flegal et al. 2012). This rate has remained the same since 2003 and is seen for both men and women of all ages and in every racial or ethnic group (Ogden et al. 2013; Simon et al. , 2006).

Chronic diseases are the prevalent health care problems in the U.S. with nearly 45 % of all Americans reporting at least one chronic disease. It's well documented that there are disparities in health outcomes for African-American and Hispanics when compared with whites because the prevalence of some diseases in this population is higher. According to the article "Healthcare Access & Disparities in Chronic Medical Condition in Urban Population," access disparities exist and appear to be linked to health literacy, education level race and use of resources in the community. (primary care

This recent epidemic of obesity has created many health problems nationwide, such as increased rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and