How obesity has become a part of black culture

10:29 AM on 06/21/2010

Read More: Diet, Exercise, Food, Health, Healthy Food, Obesity, Poverty, Women

(File Photo © Lev Olkha - Fotolia.com)

African-Americans are the most obese group in the United States and it may be by choice.

Obesity is a growing epidemic in this country, with Americans eating more and becoming less and less active. Seventy-three percent of adults and 43 percent of all children in the United States are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Among African-Americans 20 years and older, more than two-thirds are overweight or obese defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 pounds or more (h). According to BMI charts, a woman who is 5-feet 5 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds is considered overweight. A man who stands at 5-feet 8 inches is considered overweight once he hits 175 pounds. What is often considered normal is actually unhealthy.

Carrying around those extra pounds increases the likelihood of developing type II diabetes and high blood pressure -- two diseases that disproportionately affect African-Americans. Being overweight also increases the risk of stroke, heart disease, arthritis and certain cancers. In fact, obesity could become more dangerous for your health than smoking cigarettes.

Yet, in the African-American community, the so-called normal body image is skewed toward the unhealthy. Studies show a strong tendency to deem larger body sizes as acceptable, particularly for women.

How obesity has become a part of black culture