1 THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC IN AFRICAN AMERICANS IN COMPARISON TO WHITES IN MASSACHUSETTS Anh Vo & Bryan Josue Paula Gonzalez What is Obesity? 2 Obese = Having Body Mass Index>30.0 Occurs if you have too much body fat BMI>40.0 = MORBEDLY OBESE Being Obese is NOT the same as being Overweight! What is a health disparity? 3 Health disparities are the differences between a group of people compared to the general population. These differences relate to how often a group of people get sick, how many of them are affected, and how it affects them. The types of people that are mainly affected by disparities are: Racial and ethnic minorities Residents of urban areas Women, children, and the elderly Persons with disabilities Why Is Obesity A Disparity Amongst African Americans? 4 Population in Massachusetts 5 According to the US Census Bureau, in 2011 there were 6,646,144 people in Massachusetts. US Census Bureau(2011) Statistics Representation 6 http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/adultoverweightobesity-rate-by-re/ How did this difference develop? 7 Alcohol consumption(JN, J & NK, 2011) Accessibility to fast food(LM, 2009) Insufficient exercise Original causes still apply(NHLBI) Income(LM, 2009) Economics 8 Graph found at: Citydata.com Economics(cont.) 9 A portion of Africans Americans have a reduced household income. This means that they have less money coming into to the home. With less money, there is less food. Healthy food tends to be more expensive. African American Women vs. White Women 10 A recent study performed by Tené T. Lewis, Ph.D, showed new information on BMI levels. The purpose was to find out if education affected the BMI of African American and White women. Results: Black and white women showed similar BMI when they only had a high school education White women in college have a lower BMI than black women in college -(Kriss, 2013) Why is Obesity in MA a problem? 11 Even though MA ranked third-lowest obesity rate in the nation, obesity is still a big issue. Obesity levels have doubled in the last 20 years. As of now, one third of children in MA are either obese or overweight. Two thirds of the adult population is either obese or overweight More than half of adults and 1 in 4 high school and middle school students in Massachusetts are overweight or obese. -(Halpern, 2012) Health Insurance Status 12 1,088 African Americans had no health insurance as of 2011. The population of whites had 11,876 people without health insurance. Hold second highest rate for lack of health insurance Treatments 13 Adults: Lose 5 to 10 percent of your weight Lose weight slowly and in a safe manner Keep off lost weight for 6 months Continue to lose weight if still obese Tips: Set realistic goals Change life style Cut back on calories and start a healthy eating plan Last alternatives -NHLBI Prevention 14 Increase amount of physical activity Keep track of weight, BMI, and waist circumference Reduce amount of time spent in front of TV or computers Follow a healthy eating plan -NHLBI Bottom line 15 Obesity is a big issue amongst African Americans in Massachusetts It is more likely found in those that have less income or lower levels of education There was a correlation found between education levels and the levels of BMI in women Obesity is an epidemic in this country, but we can stop it in the future with a well-balanced diet and more physical activity References 16 http://www.letsmove.gov/obesity http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/obesity.html http://www.umassmed.edu/uploadedFiles/schoolservices/Pre-Matriculation_Programs/Summer_Enrichment_Programs/Julliard%20DelRosarioObesity.pdf http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2011/release.php?stateid=MA http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/adult-overweightobesity-rate-by-re/ http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/community-health/mass-in-motion/obesity-stats http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/stateprograms/fundedstates/massachusetts.html http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html http://www.usa.com/newton-ma-population-and-races.htm http://thegrio.com/2010/06/21/how-obesity-has-become-a-part-of-black-culture/ JN, A., J, R., & NK, R. (2011, 08 13). Immigration, income, drinking and obesity in african american adults. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Ade JN[Author]&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=21188529 http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/ LM, P. (2009, 09 28). Fast food costs and adolescent body mass index: evidence from panel data. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19732982 Boston, Massachusetts (MA) income map, earnings map, and wages data. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.city-data.com/income/income-BostonMassachusetts.html Kriss, M. (2013, 07 07). Education protects white women against obesity more than african american women. Retrieved from http://www.thealmagest.com/2013/07/education-protects-white-women-against-obesity-more-than-african-american-women/ Halpern, J. (2012, 08 22). Obesity in mass. among nation's lowest – why that's so frightening. Retrieved from http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/bbj_research_alert/2012/08/what-obesity-data-really-means-to-bay.html?page=all http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/behavioral-risk/report-2011.pdf 17 Questions?