Education does not reduce weight problems in African-US women
middle-aged African American women, according to new research.
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, by Dr Tené Lewis of Rush University Medical Center, found that there were no differences in body mass index (BMI) in African American and white women with a high school or less level of education. However, Lewis discovered that black-white disparities in BMI widen with increasing levels of education.
Lewis and colleagues examined the interactive effects of race and differing levels of education on BMI - calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters - by dividing education into three groups, namely: low, high school or less; moderate, some college; and high, college degree or more.
The researchers then followed over 2000 women with an average age of 46 from Chicago, Detroit, Boston and Pittsburgh for four years as part of the Study of Women Health Across the Nation (SWAN).Lewis said that the team observed "significant racial differences in the effects of education on weight for middle-aged women".
They found that African American women were equally heavy at all levels of education, while white women were thinner with increasing educational attainment.
While overall rates of obesity have increased dramatically throughout the US, the percentage of overweight and obese women remains disproportionately higher for African American women than for white women. Moreover, previous studies have suggested that low socioeconomic status may influence overweight and obesity for certain racial groups.
The suggestion, therefore, that education does not diminish the likelihood of African American women becoming overweight or obese is worrying.
"The lack of an observable benefit on BMI for educated African American women is particularly alarming given their disproportionately high rates of obesity and obesity-related illnesses," Lewis said.
The reseach team therefore concluded that "prevention efforts aimed at reducing the prevalence of obesity in African American women should begin in adolescence or early adulthood" since race-education patterns appear to be well established by midlife - a conclusion that should be taken on board by those in the nutrition industry.
This study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on March 14.
