Review Article

Obesity and the African-American Adolescent in Mississippi: An Overview

Authors: Gail D. Hughes, DRPH, MPH, Gloria A. Areghan, MSN, CSNP, Bern’Nadette Knight, MSPH

Abstract

Obesity is one of the most common conditions seen in medical practice, and is one of the most difficult to treat. This condition is often perceived as a cosmetic problem, but it is associated with a number of chronic medical conditions including, but not limited to, heart disease, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Youth obesity has increased at an alarming rate in the United States and in other developed countries around the world. Given the high prevalence of obesity among adults in the United States, it is not surprising that pediatric obesity is also on the rise. The current trends in obesity among African-American adolescents in the state of Mississippi remain alarming and disheartening. Since obesity starts in early childhood and extends into the adolescent years and possibly into adulthood, behavior modification is the key to preventing the onset of obesity in all population groups.


Key Points


* Culturally and regionally specific interventions must be implemented to successfully combat adolescent obesity.


* Community development is crucial for the success of any youth-focused weight control program.


* Behavior modification (dietary and physical activity) is key to preventing the onset of obesity and other conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.

This content is limited to qualifying members.

Existing members, please login first

If you have an existing account please login now to access this article or view purchase options.

Purchase only this article ($25)

Create a free account, then purchase this article to download or access it online for 24 hours.

Purchase an SMJ online subscription ($75)

Create a free account, then purchase a subscription to get complete access to all articles for a full year.

Purchase a membership plan (fees vary)

Premium members can access all articles plus recieve many more benefits. View all membership plans and benefit packages.

References

1. US Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity. Rockville, Md: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2001.
 
2. Schwartlander B, Stouer J, Walker N, et al. Resource needs for HIV/AIDS. Science 2001;292:2434–2436.
 
3. Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Ogden CL, et al. Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999–2000. JAMA 2002;288:1723–1727.
 
4. Weisberg SP. Societal change to prevent obesity. JAMA 2002;288:2178.
 
5. Mokad AH, Serdule MK, Dietz WH, et al. The spread of the obesity epidemic in the United States.JAMA 1999;282:1519–1522.
 
6. Ogden CL, Flegal KM, Carroll MD, et al. Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999–2000. JAMA 2002;288:1728–1732.
 
7. Youth 2001 Online: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs/2001/youth01online.htm. Accessed March 23, 2004.
 
8. Lissau I, Overpeck MD, Ruan WJ, et al. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Obesity Working Group. Body mass index and overweight in adolescents in 13 European countries, Israel, and the United States. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2004;158:27–33.
 
9. Troiano RP, Kuczmarski RJ, Johnson CL, et al. Overweight prevalence and trends for children and adolescents: the National Health and Nutrition Surveys 1963 to 1991. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med1995;149:1085–1091.
 
10. Troiano RP, Flegal KM. Overweight children and adolescents: description, epidemiology, and demographics. Pediatrics 1998;101:497–504.
 
11. Flegal KM, Troiano RP. Changes in the distribution of body mass index of adults and children in the US population. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000;24:807–818.
 
12. Reilly JJ, Wilson ML, Summerbelt CD, et al. Obesity: diagnosis, prevention and treatment: evidence based answers to common questions. Arch Dis Child 2002;86:392–394.
 
13. Kuczmarski RJ, Ogden CL, Guo SS, et al. 2000 CDC growth charts for the United States: methods and development. Vital Health Stat 11 2002;246:1–190.
 
14. Reilly JJ, Methven E, McDowell ZC, et al. Health consequences of obesity. Arch Dis Child2003;88:748–752.
 
15. Marlina RM. Ethic variation in the prevalence of obesity in North America. Critical Rev Food Sci Nutr1993;33:389–396.
 
16. Freedman DS, Dietz WH, Srinivasan SR, et al. The relationship of overweight to cardiovascular risk factors among children and adolescents: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics 1999;103:1175–1182.
 
17. Lurbe E, Alverez V, Redon J. Obesity, body fat distribution, and ambulatory blood pressure in children and adolescents. J Clin Hypertens 2001;3:362–367.
 
18. Figueroa-Colon R, Franklin FA, Lee JY, et al. Prevalence of obesity with increased blood pressure in elementary school-aged children. South Med J 1997;90:806–813.
 
19. Must A, Jacques PF, Dallal GE, et al. Long-term morbidity and mortality of overweight adolescents.N Engl J Med 1992;327:1350–1355.
 
20. Strauss RS. Childhood obesity and self-esteem. Pediatrics 2000;105:e15.
 
21. Whitaker RC, Wright JA, Pepe MS, et al. Predicting obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity. N Engl J Med 1997;337:869–873.
 
22. Nicklas TA, Yang SJ, Baranowski T, et al. Eating patterns and obesity in children: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Prev Med 2003;25:9–16.
 
23. Troiano RP, Briefel RR, Caqrroll MD, et al. Energy and fat intakes of children and adolescents in the United States: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Am J Clin Nutr2000;72(Suppl 5):1343S–1353S.
 
24. Carter RC. The impact of public schools on childhood obesity. JAMA 2002;288:2180.
 
25. Crespo CA, Smit E, Troiano RP, et al. Television watching, energy intake and obesity in US children: results from the third Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, 1988–1994, Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2001;155:360–365.
 
26. Lowry R, Wechsler H, Galuska DA, et al. Television viewing and its association with overweight, sedentary lifestyle and insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables among US high school students: differences by race, ethnicity and gender. J School Health 2002;72:413–421.
 
27. McMurray RG, Hurrell JS, Deng S, et al. The influence of physical activity, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity on the weight status of adolescents. Obes Res 2000;8:130–139.
 
28. Gordon-Larson P, Adair LS, Popkin BM. The relationship of ethnicity, socioeconomic fact and overweight in US adolescents. Obes Res 2003;11:121–129.
 
29. Haas JS, Lee LB, Kaplan CP, et al. The association of race, socioeconomic status, and health insurance status with the prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents. Am J Public Health2003;93:2105–2110.
 
30. Dietz W. Focus group data pertinent to the prevention of obesity in African Americans. Am J Med Sci 2001;322:286–289.
 
31. United States Census Bureau, US Census data, 2000. www.census.gov. Accessed March 24, 2004.
 
32. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Surveillance Summaries. June 28, 2002. MMWR 2002:51 (No SS-4).
 
33. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System: http://www.cdc.gov/yrbss. Accessed March 25, 2004.
 
34. Gordon-Larsen P, McMurray RG, Popkin BM. Adolescent physical activity and inactivity vary by ethnicity: the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. J Pediatr 1999;135:301–306.
 
35. Davis SP, Bienemey C, Ellis J, et al. A descriptive analysis of CRRIC II results: cardiovascular risks of African-American children in Mississippi. J Cult Divers 2003;10:84–90.
 
36. Penman AD. Epidemiology report: overweight and obesity in Mississippi: a growing problem. J Miss State Med Assoc 2000;41:785–789.
 
37. Robinson, Thomas N. Reducing children’s television viewing to prevent obesity. JAMA1999;282:1561–1567.
 
38. Galuska DA, Will JC, Serdule MK, et al. Are health care professionals advising obese patients to lose weight? JAMA 1999;282:1576–1578.
 
39. Yanovski SZ, Yanovski JA. Obesity. N Engl J Med 2002;346:591–602.
 
40. Blumenthal SJ, Hendi JM, Marsillo L. A Public Health Approach to Decreasing Obesity. JAMA2002;288:2178.
 
41. Southern Rural Development Center. Mississippi Delta. 2003.http://srdc.msstate.edu/focusareas/states_wia/ms_delta.htm. Accessed March 25, 2004.