THE PRODUCTION OF OBESITY AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN: “A MATRIX OF

DOMINATION”

Christopher NdubuizuUC Berkeley-McNair Symposium

Faculty Mentor: Denise Herd, Ph.D.Department: School of Public Health

August 6, 2011

•According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2008) 54% of African American women are obese compared to 30% of Non-Hispanic White women

•Obesity increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke etc. (National Institute of Health, 2011)

BACKGROUND

Literature ReviewSocial Determinants of Health: Environment Behavior/Culture Socioeconomic Status

RESEARCH QUESTION

What is the interrelatedness of race and obesity in public health

literature when discussing African American women?

Obesity/Race Obesity is defined as an excess amount

of body fat in which one’s BMI (Body Mass Index) is greater than 30

Race is a hierarchal organization of the world’s populations that establishes inferiority and superiority which is organized by skin color in the U.S. context. Historically, race has been proposed to be biological.

Methods Five secondary sources that were

published in academic journals discussing obesity among African American women.

Theoretical Framework1. Chandra Ford: Public Health Critical Race

Praxis (Critical Race Theory)

Themes Aesthetics Lifestyle

FindingsAesthetics-“Having an artificially produced texture of

hair that is not “exercise friendly” could have a conscious or subconscious effect on the decision to risk exercise. Many women, after paying for hair treatment, opt to avoid exercise and its associated sweating, which thereby negates their investment until after a period of time passes pending other more highly prioritized activities (Railey, 2000).”

Findings cont’d…Lifestyle- “68% of African American women

reported less than 20 minutes of leisure time physical activity per week…the rise of technology cannot be ignored as a factor in sedentary lifestyles. The use of computers and labor-reducing devices in the workforce has improved productivity while reducing the physical exertion once needed to fulfill work-related activities (Hawkins, 2007).”

Discussion The literature doesn’t address the

complexities of a racial experience Lacks the acknowledgment of a structural

hierarchy in society. The absence of discussing the

complexities of a racial experience in public health discourse perpetuates a system of domination.

“…the enslaved African women became the basis for the definition of our society’s Other.”

-Barbara Christian Patricia Hill Collins “Black Feminist

Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. “

Acknowledgements Rekia Jibrin & McNair Staff Mentor Denise Herd, PhD McNair Scholars