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In another post a while ago, I'd talked about how Black people seem to have more openly accepted obesity (i.e. the Monique syndrome?), and as well were not living healthy, and how that was becoming part of our problems with the health-related risks (diabetes, heart disease, etc). (I didn't seem able to convince many people, but in any case) Here's a study saying essentially the same thing.

Study Detects Racial Gap in Body Image
Tue Oct 28, 2:38 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - It is said that the mirror doesn't lie, but when it comes to body image, blacks and whites see their own reflection in different ways, researchers report.


In a study examining how people perceive their body image, African Americans were more likely than whites to think they were thinner than they actually were.


Waistlines are expanding throughout the U.S. population, but especially among African Americans. Part of the reason may be that blacks are more accepting of larger bodies than whites, according to a team of researchers led by Dr. Gerald S. Berenson at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.


Successfully battling the obesity epidemic will require efforts to change ideas about body size, according to Berenson and his colleagues.


"Without a focus on changing people's understanding of a healthy body shape, interventions for reducing obesity will not be successful," the authors conclude in the October 15th issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.


The study included 3,698 Louisiana residents ages 18 to 35 who were enrolled in a larger heart study. About 28 percent of the participants were black and about 72 percent were white.


To get an idea of the volunteers' perceptions about their body image, researchers showed them a set of body drawings that ranged from underweight to very overweight. Participants were asked to pick out the figure that most closely matched their own body shape.


African Americans were 72 percent more likely than whites to think that they were thinner than they actually were, the researchers report.


In contrast, whites were more likely than blacks to think that they were fatter than they really were.


"As long as blacks continue to accept a heavier body image, more blacks will continue to become overweight and obese and to develop diseases related to the consequences of obesity," the authors conclude.


For anti-obesity programs to be successful, they need to take people's cultural and social backgrounds into consideration, according to Berenson and his colleagues.


Across racial lines, people who were employed and those who were more educated were less likely to think that they were thinner than they actually wore. The study did not detect any significant differences between men and women in terms of body image.


SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, October 15, 2003.

Hey Jalani: I appreciate your post. There are TOO many overweight black people. Of course they know they are fat, not just by any standard but health wise. Now, I am not skinny (I used to weigh 115 lbs) and I was too thin and not as strong as I am now. Anyway, personally I exercise and eat right, I also play tennis 3X a week, and I dont smoke and drink lightly.

So for me it is about not overdoing it. I will take off the 20 baby pound I put on, partly because I like to look sexy and I will move better on the tennis court!

Oh, I check my blood pressure and get check-ups

We dont have to or should not look like the "standard" white woman, but when you breathing hard just sitting down and cant run up at least one flight of stairs, you are a heart attack waiting to happen. As a matter of fact, Puffy has inspired me to not only lose my weight, but add muscle and maybe hit the treadmill more

Peace

Exactly! Sometimes I don't seem to get across my point properly, but it's all about health, I never try to propose that everyone fits to some ideal; we all have different body frames, and therefore different healthy body types.

But, we as a whole put a daily respect for health so low on our priority scale. I've noticed I can't even hear someone mention going to McD's/BK's/KFC's/etc. etc. without getting my eyes rolling

When did our bodies stop being a temple?

These points are very true!!

People need to learn healthy from non-healthy before they can start to work on their obesity problems and programs developed to combat this disease need to take patients cultural and social backgrounds into consideration forreal.

The number of overweight black children in America is alarming. I think part of the problem is making nutritous meals for our kids at home and not giving thenm the money to buy the fast food and junk food outside. This habits for eating starts early. when ther are babies and then grow into children they are shown a certain pattern by their parents. Most parents are "calling" fast food dinner and it is not. It is more healthy to cook you children a home cooked meal with vegatables than burger and fries ir the infamous chinese food.

I am not going to lie, of course you get sucked into the fast food crave as I did but their also has to be a balance. I try not to eat the fast food al the time. I cook my dinners and lunches. I go to the gym at least three times a week. I try to stay active so that I can live a better life


The Unit

We lookin real good!!!!!!!!!!

yes balance is definitely what is needed... it is almost unrealistic these days to say that ur children will NEVER eat fast food/junk food but it should be treated as a treat or an "every now and then thing" not a STAPLE in a child's diet