African-American Women May Not Grasp Obesity Risks

Many overweight and obese African-American women believe that they have a low risk of obesity-related diseases, according to data reported at the National Institutes of Health Summit:

Dr. Sandra E. Moore and colleagues at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta conducted a cross-sectional study to examine African-American women’s perception of their risk of disease related to their weight.

African-American women lead the nation in the prevalence of overweight and obesity, Dr. Moore said. In fact, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES) survey 2003-2004, nearly 82% of African-American women have a BMI greater than 25, and 54% have a BMI greater than 30.

In the current study, the investigators recorded anthropometric measurements in 430 women visiting urban health centers and assessed self-reported demographics, medical conditions, and health beliefs about obesity and related co-morbid diseases.
Participants were asked: “How likely do you think you are to develop cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol?” Possible responses were “not at all” = 1; “a little” = 2; “somewhat” = 3; “very” = 4; and “extremely” = 5.

Overall, 25% of the women surveyed were overweight and 54% were obese, reflecting national trends, Dr. Moore noted.
Thirty-five percent of the women reported having high blood pressure, 10% reported type 2 diabetes, and 17% reported high cholesterol, all of which are significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Even so, only 5% reported having cardiovascular disease.

“This makes us believe there may be a disconnect in these women about the link between high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” the researcher said.

In general, overweight African-American women reported they had the same risk for these diseases as did normal-weight women.

There was also no significant difference in perception of the seriousness of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, regardless of weight category.

Dr. Moore said the findings are similar to those of an earlier report by the American Heart Association, which found that although cardiovascular disease awareness had increased from 1997 to 2003, there still remained a significant gap in perceived and actual risk of cardiovascular disease in women, especially minority women.

Finally, she noted that the survey involved a convenience sample of women with low socioeconomic status and added that women of a higher socioeconomic status might have different perceptions about obesity-related health risks.

Reported at the National Institutes of Health Summit: Dec. 2008