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Review
. 2013 Jan 27:2013:314295.
doi: 10.1155/2013/314295. eCollection 2013.

Obesity and african americans: physiologic and behavioral pathways

Preetha Anna Abraham  1 , Josh Ben Kazman  1 , Stacey Anne Zeno  1 , Patricia Anne Deuster  1
Affiliations
Review

Obesity and african americans: physiologic and behavioral pathways

Preetha Anna Abraham et al. ISRN Obes. .

Abstract

Although progress has been made to understand the association between physiological and lifestyle behaviors with regard to obesity, ethnic differences in markers of obesity and pathways towards obesity remain somewhat unexplained. However, obesity remains a serious growing concern. This paper highlights ethnic differences in African Americans and Caucasians that may contribute to the higher prevalence of obesity among African Americans. Understanding ethnic differences in metabolic syndrome criteria, functioning of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, variations in glucocorticoid sensitivity and insulin resistance, and physical activity and cardiovascular fitness levels may help to inform practical clinical and public health interventions and reduce obesity disparities.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cardiovascular fitness category by ethnicity. Abbreviations: African American (AA); Caucasian (CA). Note: Percentage of African Americans and Caucasians classified as low to fair, average, and good to high cardiovascular fitness as defined by the American College of Sports Medicine for age and gender (from [20]).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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