Question 2
The study mentioned that more Hispanic (32%) than non-Hispanic white participants (27%) were classified as obese. What are some possible causes of this finding? Explain.
posted by Brittney @ 12:15 AM
14 comments
ISU Dietetic Internship Journal Club
Objective: To become familiar with current scientific literature on a variety of nutrition topics and to gain experience in gathering, organizing, critically evaluating, presenting and facilitating group discussion of the literature and the implications to practice.
14 Comments:
There could be a variety of reasons why more Hispanic than non-Hispanic white participants were classified as obese. The most likely reason why the Hispanic participants were obese is because of cultural and environmental factors, such as their diet. Genetics could play another role in this discussion. Different cultures and races have a variety of customs, different cooking techniques, different ways of living, different beliefs, different foods may or may not be available to them, finances and money for what they can or can not afford to buy could also be an issue. It is hard to pin-point one specific reason why the Hispanic participants were obese, all of these things need to be taken into consideration when considering why they were obese over the non-Hispanic white participants. Analyzing every participants diet and determining the amount of exercise and activity they incorporate in their daily lives will also help in this discussion.
Oh gosh, Britt, there are TONS of possible reasons! Hispanics attend college at lower rates than whites, and higher education is associated with lower body weight and healthier eating. Possibly, some hispanic immigrants are adjusting to the American culture, causing their diets to change resulting in weight gain. Cultural differences in diet may also play a role. Hispanics have a higher obesity/overweight rate among their children and adolescents, making them more likely to remain overweight/obese as adults.
Well my first thought is Hispanic diet is HIGH in carbohydrates. Rice, flour tortia's, legumes, whole milk. They also use higher fat meats, cook with oils and incorporate a lot of cheese in their diets. On a positive note they eat plenty of fruits and vegetables too. There are many other reasons but this is my first thought!
Susan
Susan- I agree that there could be a variety of reasons why the Hispanic participants were classified as obese. I really liked your first idea about the Hispanic diet being high in Carbohydrates and Fats. They do consume a lot of rice, tortillas, oils, high fat sausage and other meats. It's good to be aware of different cultures and the variety of ways they can prepare the foods and the different foods that they consume.
There could be a several reasons for this. One could be cultural dietary differences between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic women. A second reason could be economical differences between the two causing poor food choices for Hispanics. Lower education could also lead to poor food choices. Genetics could also play a factor between the two populations. Finally, if the population size is not large enough it could throw off the results.
Cultural differences is one of many possible reasons for the differing percentages of obese participants, though there is only a difference of 5%. One group or the other may typically participate in more physical activity. The diets of each group may differ considerable as well. Education levels may differ as may socioeconomic status. There are many factors that may be the culprit for the differences.
Colin, I agree that education and genetics could play a huge roll in the obesity rates. You are also right that the population size used in the study may have skewed the results.
Like others I think that diet plays a big role in Hispanics being more obese. Moving to the US and adopting our diet could be a factor also. The Hispanic diet is different from the one we eat here in the US, so changing to our way of eating could impact their health. Also, as a culture we are more sedentary and rely on our vehicles more, so when they move to the US might become less active. Also, Hispanics take the jobs that no one else wants which are the ones that pay less, so they buy items that are more processed and "bad" for you, just to try to make their money go further.
Tori
Colin,
I like that you brought up the education factor. It could be that they don't know that being obese can lead to several severe health complications.
Tori
This claim could be a resolve of Hispanics having a higher fat diet. Lard is common in their cooking and their diet tends to be higher in CHO rather than fruits and vegetables. I am not sure how much exercise they get but this also could be a cultural factor and that they may not hold exercise as important as non hispanic whites.
Colin,
I didn't even think about one of the major causes that you mentioned, low economic status. It is very true that if you aren't bringing enough income in, you will not be making the healthier more pricey choices at the grocery store.
Hispanics commonly have been found to be more obese than other cultures, and several main culprits are usually to blame. First, their culture influences their food selections. Traditional hispanic foods tend to be higher in fat because frying as a cooking technique is often used. The study mentioned that some hispanics were born in the US, and others were not. The environment in which they grew up (either in a traditional hispanic household or not), will influence results, however. This could actually mean an increase in the obesity rates of people living a traditional hispanic lifestyle. Second, there seems to be a genetic predisposition of hispanics to carry excess amounts of weight. So even though the participants are consuming different diets, they will have different body compositions, which could affect long-term cancer developemnt. This is most likely why more than one ethnic group is being studied.
One possible explanation for the variance in percents of the population obese may have to do with a slight cultural difference in the perception of obesity. It could also be due to cultural differences in lifestyle and activity level.
Myra
Good point Susan about the composition of the diet (i.e. the level of carbs) as a possible reason for the slight difference in obesity rates.
Myra
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