Transcript How Class and Race Drive Obesity What is Obesity?

How Class and Race
Drive Obesity
Melissa Burleson
SOC 132-90
6-3-2009
What is Obesity?
• Obesity is easily diagnosed, however, very difficult to
treat
• Obesity occurs when the body takes in more calories
than it is able to burn
• Obesity is diagnosed when weight becomes ten percent
higher than what is recommended for the height and
body shape
• Sixty million Americans suffer from obesity
• Obesity is attributes to 300,000 deaths in the United
States annually
What are the Physical Causes of Obesity?
• Obesity has many complex causes including genetic,
biological, behavioral and cultural factors
• If a child has one obese parent, the child has a fifty
percent chance of also becoming obese
• If a child has two obese parents, the child has an eighty
percent chance of becoming obese
• Obesity in children and young adults can also be realted
to poor eating habits, overeating, lack of physical
activity, family history, endocrine dysfunction, and
neurological problems
Physical Causes of Obesity Con’t
• Medications such as steroids and psychiatric meds can
also contribute to excessive weight gain
• Life events can add to overwhelming stress which may
lead to weight gain such as, divorce, death, abuse, and
moving
• Emotional disturbances such as depression can have
large effects on weight gain
• The three main factors are poor diet, lack of exercise
and genetics.
Race and Class
• Race/Ethnic differences in lifestyle behaviors as well as
economic disadvantage may account for some of the
race disparity in the obesity-related diseases and disease
outcomes
• Children living in poverty and single –parent homes
have held back progress in a child’s overall well being in
the past three decades
Race and Class Con’t
• Although obesity is increasing in all age groups and
every race in the United States, there are noted
disproportionate rises among African-Americans and
Hispanic/Mexican Americans
• Obesity associated diseases such as hypertension and
diabetes are found at higher rates in minority races as
opposed to Caucasian races
• Obesity of different racial/ethnic groups appears in
children as early as 4 years of age
Race and Obesity Con’t
Body Mass index reveals the following obesity quantities for the
following groups:
• American Indian (31.2%)
• Hispanics (22%)
• Blacks (20.8%)
• Whites (15.9%)
• Asians (12.8%)
Race and Class Con’t
• Information from Income Climbs, Poverty Stabilizes, Uninsured
Rate Increases (2009) reveals the following median incomes:
• Asian households ($61,094)
• Black households ($30,858)
• Hispanic households ($35,967
• Caucasian households ($50,784)
Race and Class Con’t
• Poor households that struggle hard to afford enough
high-quality food resort to substandard nutritional diets
• Insecurity of food is directly linked to poor diets
• Poor diets often have vitamin, mineral, fruit, vegetable,
grain, and meat deprivation
• The Department of Agriculture states that 11% of
American households are food insecure
Race and Class Con’t
• Dr Walter Willet, chairman of the department of nutrition at the
Harvard School of Public Health states, “The issue of diet
quality in low-income and food-insecure groups is a
very serious issue, because the flip side of the low
intake of minerals and vitamins is that these king of low
quality diets are usually characterized by large amounts
of starch and refined sugar.”
Health Problems Related to Obesity
• Are both physical and emotional
• Type 2 Diabetes, sleep apnea, orthopedic problems,
liver disease, asthma, cancer and osteoarthritis
• The largest consequence is the increase risk of heart
diease
• Obesity claims over 100 billion dollars in health care
costs each year!
Conclusion
• Classes of greater wealth consume meals of whole
grains, lean meat, fish, low-fat diary products, fresh
fruits and vegetables.
• Where as classes of society stricken by poverty
consume more processed, fatty and sugary foods.
• Disadvantaged groups suffer from obesity and many
health complications directly related to obesity which
are a direct result of poor diet and inadequate nutrition