Obesity Rates Climbing Among Hispanic and Black Women

Obesity rates are climbing among Hispanic and black women according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and one of the many reasons could be less access to healthy foods.

“It’s important for people to develop a taste for things such as vegetables when they’re young,” said Jamie Kane, MD, director of the Center for Weight Management at Syosset Hospital. “And if someone does not have a plethora of options for meals, making the healthiest choice possible such as not having fries and soda when forced to eat at a fast food restaurant or choosing not to eat at a fast food restaurant is helpful to avoid weight gain.”

Obesity was higher from 2011 through 2014 in Hispanic and black women compared to their male counterparts, according to the CDC report.

The report showed that 56.5 percent of black women were obese between 2011 and 2014, compared to 37.5 of black men; 45.7 percent of Hispanic females were obese during this time period compared to 39 percent of Hispanic men.

“For women, there are several things that predispose them to having more fat tissue,” explained Dr. Kane. “Rapid swings in hormones, such as during pregnancy and menopause; having a slower resting metabolism than men; having less testosterone than men are among the things that make women more likely to have fat tissue than men.”

The CDC report also found that there was a slightly higher prevalence of obesity in women generally (38.3 percent) compared to 34.3 percent in men.

A person is obese when their body mass index is a 30 or higher.

This report is an opportunity for the groups that had a high prevalence of obesity to be mindful of that and change some of their habits, Dr. Kane said.

For more information about obesity, click here.

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