Obesity
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Obesity is a chronic disease that requires a comprehensive approach for both prevention and treatment.
Obesity as a disease
Black Health President, C. Virginia Fields, talks to Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie and Kesha Calicutt about obesity and its implications in Black and Brown communities.
- Obesity is associated with many other conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, lipid disorders, certain cancers, sleep apnea, arthritis, and mental illness.
- Obesity disproportionately impacts communities of color. Non-Hispanic Blacks had the highest prevalence of obesity at 49.6%, followed by Hispanics at 44.8%, and non-Hispanic whites at 42.2%.
- African American women have the highest rates of obesity among any demographic group. Approximately 4 out of 5 African American women have overweight or obesity.
- Minorities will make up more than half of the population of the United States by 2050. A projection of obesity rates found that “severe obesity” will become the most common BMI category among non-Hispanic Black adults at 31.7% by 2030.
- Caring for patients with obesity is about more than reducing body weight. The continuum of obesity care should include consultation with trained obesity specialists, lifestyle adjustments to healthier diet and increased physical activity, access to anti-obesity medications (AOMs), and possibly surgical intervention. A combination of those treatment options may be right for you, but whatever options you choose should focus on improving overall health and quality of life.
Key resources to support you
What you can do for weight management
The Obesity Action Coalition has some excellent resources to understand obesity risk factors, share evidence-based health solutions, and empower community members along your journey to better health.
The National Council on Aging’s health resources website has a series of resources focused on setting goals to achieve for a healthy weight, and an AgeWell Planner.
Support your mental health - links between weight and mood disorders
Mental health and obesity are related in complex ways and have been shown to affect each other. For example, people with depression are more likely to experience obesity and people with obesity are more likely to experience depression.
High rates of obesity have been observed in studied in populations with mood disorders, schizophrenia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and trauma.
Factors that affect both mental illness and obesity are:
- Inflammation
- Coping behaviors
- Neurotransmitter levels
- Sociodemographic factors like poverty
Obesity has also been associated with anxiety disorders and eating disorders, specifically bulimia and binge-eating disorder.
Read more on mental health and obesity in the Stop Obesity Alliance health resources (opens pdf).
Obesity and Health Disparities
The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) 2021 Leadership Summit Session: Obesity in Communities of Color – A Closer Look at Addressing Existing Disparities
Black Health Mental Health Experts
Dr. Patrice Douglas
Rachael Johnson
Black Health Obesity Webinar Experts
Dr. Tiffany Bell-Washington MD, FAPA, DipABOM, DipABLM, MPA
Dr. Daphne Bryan, MD, DipABOM
Coach Rik Childs
Health Renewal Coach
Dr. Angela Clack, PsyD
Clack & Associates
Dr. Sanul Correlius, MD, FACC
Dr. Latosha Flowers
MedConcierge
Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, MD, DipABOM
Dr. Joynita Nicholson, DO, AOBFP,DABOM, FOMA
Dr. Carol Penn, DO, DipABOM, MA, FACCE
Brandon Wood
Body
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Movement:
Mind
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Obesity Information Sources
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