Uncomplicated Obesity in an African American Population Seeking Medical Weight Loss

Overview

Journal Ethn Dis

Specialties Public Health
Social Sciences

Date 2014 Jan 8

PMID 24392606

Authors

Denia Tapscott

Monet D Bernard

Thomas A Mellman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Obesity is highly prevalent and adds greatly to the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. However, a subset of the obese has been identified who do not appear to carry this risk. Some studies suggest that anthropomorphic correlates of risk, such as waist circumference, differ between African Americans and Whites and features of uncomplicated obesity have not been well characterized in this population. The goal of our study was to determine the prevalence and associated features of uncomplicated obesity, including relationships to waist circumference and the achievement of weight loss in primarily African American patients.

Design: A retrospective chart review.

Setting: Outpatient medically supervised weight loss program located at a teaching hospital in Washington, DC.

Participants: Predominately adult African American females.

Results: Thirty-one percent of our population had no documented metabolic or cardiovascular disease. This group was on average younger, but had similar waist circumference (44 +/- 13.8 vs 44 +/- 6.6 inches) and achieved similar mean weight loss at 3 months (9.9 +/- 10.4 vs 10.3 +/- 12.4 lbs.) as the group with comorbid conditions.

Conclusions: Waist circumference was not an indicator of risk among African American women and achieved weight loss did not depend on pre-existing comorbidities.

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