In the United States, obesity is a significant problem for African American women. Obesity has been associated with many diseases. Obesity has been shown to cause type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Obesity also leads to high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. In African American Women, obesity can lead to more health risks than in Caucasian women (CDC NCHS, 2009). Obesity in African American women is a major issue.
Obesity can lead to many diseases and health problems for this population (CDC NCHS, 2009). Obesity has been shown to cause type 2 diabetes and heart disease in both men and women. Obesity also leads to high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Obesity is one of the leading causes of death in the US according to the CDC’s Obesity website. In African American Women, obesity can lead a greater risk for developing certain diseases than Caucasian women.
These illnesses include osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertension during pregnancy, liver disease including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH), cancer of the gall bladder, diverticulitis, and cancer of the esophagus (CDC NCHS, 2009). Obesity can also increase a person’s risk for other illnesses such as coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus (CDC NCHS, 2009). Obesity in African American women has been shown to be more closely linked with Diabetes mellitus Type II than Caucasian women. Obesity is not only harmful physically but emotionally too.
Obesity can cause low self-esteem which could lead to depression. Obesity in African American Women is becoming an increasing problem that must be dealt with by health care professionals. The prevalence of obesity among men increases after age 40 years whereas the prevalence of obesity among women increases before age 40 years (CDC NCHS, 2009). Obesity has many effects on reproductive health in African American Women. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of infertility, limited access to fertility treatment options, and negative pregnancy outcomes (CDC NCHS, 2009).
Obesity also has been shown to contribute(along with other factors)to the development of gestational diabetes mellitus and may contribute to problems during labor including prolonged labor and cesarean section delivery (CDC NCHS, 2009). Obesity in African American women is closely linked with diabetes and heart disease. Obesity can cause high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels making these diseases more likely for African American women than Caucasian women. Obesity has many effects on reproductive health.
Obesity has been linked with infertility in African American Women which makes getting pregnant more difficult if they are not able to lose weight. Obesity also contributes to gestational diabetes among African American women which has negative effects on the mother and baby during pregnancy. Obesity can cause problems with labor including prolonged labor or cesarean section delivery. Obesity in African American Women is an increasing problem that needs to be addressed by health care professionals since it can lead to many diseases and health problems for this population.
According to the CDC, Obesity is defined as a BMI greater than 30 (CDC NCHS, 2009). There are three classifications of obesity based on BMI level(USDHHS, 1996). Classification includes mild obesity, moderate obesity, severe obesity over 120% above the normal weight range. Obesity increases risks for other chronic illness such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Obesity has been shown to reduce the quality of life for African American Women (CDC NCHS, 2009). Obesity can cause low self-esteem which could lead to depression.
Obesity has many effects on reproductive health including infertility and negative pregnancy outcomes. Obesity causes gestational diabetes among African American women that can have negative effects on the mother and baby during pregnancy. Obesity contributes to higher rates of cesarean section delivery or prolonged labor in African American women(CDC NCHS, 2009). Obesity is closely linked with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels causing more problems for African American Women than Caucasian women.
Obesity needs to be addressed by health care professionals since it is an increasing problem among this population that affects obesity’s many effects on reproductive health, low self-esteem that could lead to depression, and the increased risks for chronic illnesses. Obesity is a problem that needs to be dealt with by health care professionals in African American Women since it leads to negative pregnancy outcomes and higher rates of cesarean section delivery or prolonged labor.
Obesity can also cause problems during labor including prolonged labor and cesarean section delivery. Obesity reduces the quality of life African American Women experience because of affecting their physical and emotional well being. Obesity increases the risk for other chronic illness such as high cholesterol levels which can cause heart disease among African American women more than Caucasian women. Obesity affects infertility among African American women making it difficult if not impossible for this population to get pregnant if they are not able to lose weight.
Across the US, roughly 36% of adults are obese, and 18% are considered morbidly obese. Obesity has become so prevalent that obesity rates have nearly doubled since the mid-1980’s. This poses a serious threat to public health due to its association with numerous chronic diseases.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), being overweight or obese is associated with reduced life expectancy as well as increased risk for diabetes mellitus type 2, cardiovascular diseases, and certain forms of cancer. Obesity also has a great impact on quality of life through decreased physical and mental functioning (Scully (2013).
A Growing Problem Obesity is a growing problem across the United States as well as globally. In addition to increasing the risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity increases a woman’s chance of developing other significant conditions which can have dire consequences including infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and uterine cancer. Obesity also puts women at an increased risk for pregnancy complications due increased fetal size as well as maternal health conditions such as high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia.
Obesity during pregnancy is also associated with increased rates of cesarean delivery, birth defects, low birth weight infants, stillbirths, preterm births, severe incidences of maternal obesity-related health problems, and increases in labor induction for post-term pregnancies.
Obesity can have devastating effects on not just a woman’s physical health but mental well-being as well through the development of depression. Obesity among African American Women Although obesity manifests itself differently in women than it does men due to sex differences in body fat distribution relative to skeletal muscle mass, obesity affects both genders equally.
