by | Mar 30, 2013 | Magazine
Poor eating habits and lack of exercise among African Americans increases their risk of developing cancer, obesity, hypertension, diabetes and heart disease, according to recent studies by the Public Health Institute (PHI) and the California Department of Health Services (CDHS).
Health care professionals at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine Sciences (CDU), a medical school and college in Los Angeles that provides health care to underserved populations, believes this trend of poor nutrition in African Americans is a cause for concern.
CDU President Charles Francis, PhD, says, “We see evidence of this every day in our [African American] patients who have a higher incidence of obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, than the rest of the population.”
CDU is especially concerned with the poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle of many black youths. PHI studies have found that black teens are spending less time participating in physical activity and more time watching TV, playing video games and using the computer. In fact, African-American teens spend an average of 188 minutes a day watching television, compared to other young adults who average 130 minutes a day. Black teens also have poorer nutrition, according to studies by the CDHS that found that this group eats too few fruits and vegetables, too many high-fat foods and is increasingly overweight.
But African-American teens are not the only ones participating in these unhealthy behaviors, the study concludes black adults’ increased risk of many types of disease is, in part, a result of their own poor nutrition and lack of exercise.
“Our people are dying,” says Elaine Williams, PhD, a doctor at CDU. “This is real for us. Health disparities in this country widen every year, and this chronic condition is threatening our lives.”
To combat this trend of poor nutrition and lack of physical activity, the CDU challenges African Americans to take it upon themselves to follow healthy dietary guidelines, such as eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. The university’s Task Force for Nutrition advises black teens and children to increase their physical activity to 60 minutes a day and encourages black adults to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
by | Mar 30, 2013 | Magazine
A new study released by the University of Chicago Children’s Hospital finds TV shows geared toward African-American audiences have more overweight characters and 60% more food commercials than shows that attract a general audience.
In addition, 31% of the food commercials on popular black shows are for sweets and 13% are for soda. On shows for general audiences, only 11% of the ads are for sweets and only 2% are for soda.
African-American shows also have a higher number of obese characters than shows aimed at general audiences –27% of actors on black shows are overweight, but only 2% are overweight on general audience shows.
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According to Manasi Tirodkar, an author of the study and research assistant at the University of Chicago’s Children’s Hospital, the programs could be a reflection of weight status in the African-American population, which may help to lessen the stigma associated with being overweight.
While overweight characters portraying self-confidence is a good thing, if those characters are shown eating junk food and participating in other unhealthy actions, they may be viewed as endorsing behaviors associated with obesity, Tirodkar believes.
“The ads and programming content [on black TV shows] may influence the eating behaviors of African Americans,” says Anjali Jain, PhD, senior author of the study and an instructor of pediatrics at the hospital. “More than 60% of African Americans are overweight, compared to 54% of the general U.S. population.”
Obesity increases the risk of many life-threatening diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cancer and heart diseases, all of which are more prevalent in members of racial and ethnic minorities than in whites.
“We know from previous studies that television influences health behaviors, for instance those related to alcohol and tobacco,” Tirodkar states. “In the long run, this may prove to influence obesity, the way alcohol and tobacco advertising have influenced other heath behaviors.”
Shiriki Kumanyika, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania, says the prevalence of overweight black characters in these shows is a mixed blessing. “It’s nice to have a diverse group of African Americans portrayed on TV–the overall acceptance of different weights has to be addressed. I certainly don’t think we should get into portraying unattainable images,” she says. However, Kumanyika points out, the underlying health issues of overweight characters must also be addressed.
