Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among African American Children and Adolescents: Risk Factors, Health Outcomes, and Prevention/Intervention Strategies

This paper examines the biological, psychosocial, cultural, and obesogenic environmental factors that might account for the high prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among African American young children (aged 2-11) and adolescents (aged 12-19). Research findings are discussed on the practices associated with the development of childhood obesity including maternal overweight and obesity, physiological predisposition, infant feeding practices, breastfeeding, rapid infant weight gain, sleep disruption, low nutrition diets, physical inactivity, and sedentary behavior. The psychological correlates of overweight and obesity are discussed. Consistent with the obesogenic arguments, this paper examines the development of childhood obesity as a function of socioeconomic disadvantages, social inequities, urban environmental contingencies, and media food product messages. The potential deleterious health consequences of overweight and obesity are discussed. There is an examination of the structural-level and individual-level prevention/intervention strategies necessary for sustainable declines in childhood overweight and obesity.