African-American Women: Take Note

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cultural differences

Dr. Ro believes that some weight problems are linked to attitudes. “Black women have a positive self-image regarding their bodies,” she says. “A black woman is proud of her body, even if she wears a size 3X. There is an old belief that in order to be desirable to men, you have to have meat on your bones.” These attitudes are threatening the health and lives of African-American women, Dr. Ro says. “The cultural belief gets in the way of the quality of life. It’s great to have a good body image, but not if it becomes a health risk,” she says.

As Dr. Ro points out, a national health survey reports that nearly four out of five black women in the United States are overweight or obese. And black women are 69 percent more likely than white women to suffer heart disease and heart attacks. Many of those statistics can be changed by altering diet and exercise routines. The time to start is now, she says.