Epidemic of Obesity in African American Communities and the Need for a Culturally Sensitive After School Childhood Obesity Prevention Program

Abstract

An after-school obesity prevention program for African American children is proposed in this paper. The prevention program is a behavioral education program designed to facilitate healthy behavior changes in obesity self-care and provide culturally sensitive interventions specifically for obese African American children. The self-care concepts addressed involve: knowledge of obesity, exercise, and nutrition. The culturally sensitive interventions address the problems of low self-esteem, communication, and ineffective family coping. The implementation of the after-school obesity program included four phases: needs assessment, planning and goal setting, implementation, and monitoring for progress. This afterschool education program is designed to promote self-care, family support, and improve the quality of life for obese African American children.

Prevalence of adolescent obesity at a high school in the City of Tshwane

“…Other factors leading to increased obesity among adolescents include interpretation of obesity as a sign of financial and well-being status. Wallace ( 2006 :129) stated that African-American adolescents associate excessive weight with being a breadwinner and with the ability to afford luxury foods such as meats and fried foods. In addition a study conducted by Puoane et al ( 2005 :10) revealed that participants in Cape Town perceived being overweight as being round and healthy which influenced the increased rate of obesity.…”

Adult Obesity in the US: Obesity Problems Affecting the African American Community

“…I n order for African Americans establish an identity that does not consist of such an unhealthy diet they must change their entire Another reason is views that are portrayed within the culture of these people. For instance, excessive weight among African Americans is characterized as being the breadwinner and having the capacity to afford foods that are considered to be luxurious such as meats and fried foods [10]. Along with this, there is a notion within the African American community that "bigger is better," therefore making African Americans more comfortable with higher Body Mass Indexes and creating a less eager initiative to take the necessary steps to curb ones weight problems.…”

“…Finally, individuals who are overweight can go through problems during their pregnancies because women who are overweight or obese during pregnancy are more likely to develop insulin resistance (gestational diabetes), high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia), and high blood sugar [15]. Along with these risks, recent studies have shown that obesity is also related to an increase in depression, social isolation, and anxiety [10].…”