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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Phoebe Butler-Ajibade, EdD, Human Performance and Leisure Studies, North Carolina A & T State University, Corbett Gym, Room 202, Greensboro, NC 27411, 336-334-7712, pbajibad@ncat.edu

There tends to be greater acceptance of overweight women in the African American community. In traditional African societies, full-figured bodies were valued as symbols of health, wealth, desire, prosperity, and fertility. Nichter and Parker (1995) found that 90 percent of white girls were dissatisfied with their bodies, while 70 percent of black teenage girls were proud of the way that they look.

Although black women and girls report a higher incidence of positive body image, larger black women still face social pressure to lose weight. Overweight and obese black women believe that healthy diets and physical activity are important. Black overweight and obese women spend millions of dollars on weight loss programming including gastric bypass surgery, fitness club memberships and exercise programs, weight loss herbs/supplements, and nutrition based weight loss programs.

This study examined what weight loss activities black women participated in. It also examined their perceptions of barriers to continuous and long-term participation in weight control programming. The findings indicate that traditional, one sized fits all programs are not designed for nor appealing to black women. Thus, continuous participation in the programs was unlikely. Successful strategies that the subjects employed to maintain/obtain a healthy weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood cholesterol will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will identify barriers to physical activity and nutrition amongst African American women.
• Participants will identify the five major weight loss strategies that are utilized by African American women.
• Participants will differentiate between the self-image of overweight African American women in comparison with other groups of women.
• Participants will identify four strategies that have been successful in promoting weight-loss maintenance amongst overweight and obese African American women.

Keywords: Obesity, Health Education Strategies

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No