HONOLULU — Many overweight black and Hispanic adults' estimates of their obesity-related health problems are more optimistic than are practice-based statistical findings, according to research presented in a poster at the annual meeting of the National Medical Association.
Data from a telephone survey “point to an important opportunity for physicians to communicate to their minority patients” regarding the health consequences of obesity, wrote Dr. Valentine J. Burroughs, chief medical officer of North General Hospital, New York, and colleagues.
The researchers reported that “self-reported rates of obesity-related comorbidities among African-American and Hispanic adults,” self-described as overweight, “fall below what would be expected … suggesting a lack of awareness of actual risk.”
Information for the study was collected from a telephone survey of 537 black and 526 Hispanic adults; 30.1% of black respondents and 35.4% of Hispanic respondents were male. The researchers recruited only those candidates who described themselves as being either “slightly” or “very” overweight. A higher percentage of Hispanic participants (81.9%) reported themselves as being “slightly overweight,” compared with black participants (76.6%).
The obesity-related comorbidities that were most frequently self-reported by black participants were high blood pressure (33.0%), arthritis (20.4%), and high cholesterol (18.4%); Hispanic participants most frequently reported high cholesterol (17.2%), high blood pressure (15.0%), and difficulty sleeping (12.5%).
Survey participants were also asked to rate their overall health. Only 3% of Hispanics rated their health as poor, as did 5% of blacks. (See box.)
The study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare; all the study authors either consulted for the company or were employed by them.
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