Today's guest blog is by Elena Ong, Communication Chair for APHA Asian Pacific Islander Caucus for Public Health
WHAT’S
THE EPIDEMIC? OVERWEIGHT & OBESITY
Nearly
two-thirds of adults[i]
and nearly one in three children are overweight or obese.[ii] Being overweight or obese increases risk for
heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, breathing
problems, arthritis, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis and some
cancers.[iii]
WHAT’S
THE POPULATION? ASIAN AMERICANS AND
NATIVE HAWAIIANS AND OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDERS (AANHOPIs).[iv]
Nearly
half (45 percent) of AANHOPIs are not at a healthy weight, and 68.4 percent of
Pacific Islanders are overweight or obese.[v]
Obesity
rates for the second generation of Asian adolescents is twice as high than first
generation obesity rates[vi].
From
a clinical point of view, AANHOPIs tend to have more inner abdominal fat than
other races, which increases their risk for chronic disease[vii]. Mildly obese AANHOPIs are at greater risk
for heart disease and diabetes. For example,
AANHOPIs have a 60 percent higher rate
of type 2 Diabetes than whites of the same BMI[viii].
From
a behavioral point of view, less than half of adult AANHOPIs meet recommended
physical activity levels - only 17.8 percent of Asian adults met the 2008
Federal Physical Activity Guidelines[ix].
WHAT’S
THE SOLUTION? ACTIVE LIVING &
HEALTHY LIFESTYLES
Empower
AANHOPIs to improve their health by improving social, cultural, environmental,
structural, economic and political factors that contribute to overweight and
obesity-related diseases.
1. Educate, analyze and empower
“healthy weight” management in a culturally and linguistically sensitive
way. Disaggregate the NHOPI data from
AANHOPI data to get a true picture of risk.
2. Adopt API-specific BMI
definitions for overweight and obesity. The WHO consultation suggests that 22
kg/m2 – 25 kg/m2 may be a better cut-off point for Asian populations.[x]
3. Promote community wellness
and active living: public
transportation, safe parks and sidewalks for exercise, physical fitness
programs at schools/community centers, access to healthy food at vending
machines/trucks/grocery stores/restaurants/cafeterias.
4. Promote workplace wellness
and healthy lifestyles: standing/walking meetings; exercise breaks; access to
healthy foods at vending machines/cafeterias/farmer’s markets/kiosks.
5. Promote personal wellness
and healthy lifestyles: eat well,
exercise and limit videogame/computer over-use, relax, reduce stress, etc.
[i] Flegal
KM, Caroll MD, et al. Prevalence and
trends in obesity among US adults, 1999-2009. JAMA. 2010 Jan 20; 303(3):235-41.
[ii] Ogden
CL, MD Caroll, et al. Prevalence of high body mass index in US children and
adolescents, 2007-8. JAMA. 2010 Jan 20;303(3):242-9.
[iii] US
DHHS Office of Minority Health. Health
Status of Asian American and Pacific Islander Women. May 12, 2009,
http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=3721.
[iv] US
Census, 2000-2010.
[v] US
National Center for Health Statistics, Vital and Health Statistics, Series 10,
Number 235, Summary Health Statistics for US Adults: NHIS, 2006.
[vi] Popkin.
J Nutr 1998; Haas, AJPH, 2003
[vii] Lear,
Am J. Clin Nutr 2007, Davis, Ethnicity & Disease, 2004 and Craig, Acta
Diabetol, 2003.
[viii] Razak
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14726171
[ix] Op cit.
[x] Sue
Hughes. Asian populations may need
different definitions of obesity.
Heartwire, January 9, 2004
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