Research on which Ethnic Group has the highest Obesity Rate - Case Study Example

The correlation of different minority groups among the American population will be assessed and especially why minority groups experience elevated levels of obesity and obesity-related conditions. Introduction Research shows that North America has the highest prevalence of obesity with 38% of adults and 17% of children being obese. Research also shows that the in United States obesity is the number one health risk in the nation. This study will be used to provide a general idea of the relationship that exists between obesity and ethnicity in United States.

In particular, focus will be on African Americans, Caucasians, Hispanic, Asian, and afro Jamaican. This paper will use what is known by the general public on obesity and the vulnerable people to it. This paper identifies the gaps and weaknesses in the current determinants of obesity by getting the concise information on the variations that exist between the minority groups and the majority groups and their prevalence to obesity and some of the potential determinants of obesity that is the cultural variations in the diets of different ethnic groups, the status in their economy and characteristics of the different ethnic groups in the united states. . Literature review According to National Obesity Observatory (4), obesity is the body mass index (BMI).

This is calculated as the ratio between the weight and height of an individual. Obesity is brought about by a number of contributing factors: plenty of food to a person’s disposal, fast foods with high calorie levels, lack of or reduced amount of physical activities, and the availability of electronic activities that bring about another lifestyle especially to the children (National Obesity Observatory 8). Ethnicity, on the other hand, consists of dimensions that include color, language, religion, identities, and the country of origin or birth.

In this case, the dimension of ethnic groups is segregated according to the color and country of origin. Reports show that in a period of five years, the obesity levels have rocketed, with twelve states in United States having an n obesity rate of over 30% (National Obesity Observatory 16). As of today, the reports show that the highest prevalent areas with obesity are in the south in the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma Kentucky, and South Carolina among other states (F as in Fat 1). In particular, the states that obesity has grown in the fastest rate are Alabama and Oklahoma (F as in Fat 1).

The northeast and the west have shown different trends of obesity growth with them having lower growth rates. The states of Washington and Colorado have shown a slower rate of obesity (National Obesity Observatory 18). According to Beydoun and Wang (11), the highest rates of obesity are reported among the women of minority groups. These are the African American women and the Caucasian men especially the Mexicans living in United States. F as in Fat (2) states that