Food Choice and Obesity in Black America : Creating a New Cultural Diet

Anthropologist Eric Bailey Uses A Cultural And Holistic Analysis Of African American Food Preferences To Show How Black Americans Generally Perceive Health, Body Image, Food, Dieting, Physical Fitness, And Exercise. As Is True Of Americans Overall, Black Americans Are Becoming More Overweight And Obese Than Ever Before. So, Too, They Are Seeing The Consequences: Heart Attacks, Strokes, Hypertension, And Type Ii Diabetes At Earlier And Earlier Ages. Bailey Offers A New ʺculturalʺ Diet For Black Americans And A Prescription For Working Collectively, Not Only To Understand This Critical Health Issue, But Also To Establish A Lifestyle Strategy That Will Be Both Effective And Manageable. Includes Information On African American Adolescents, Delany Sisters, Patty Labelle, New Black Cultural Diet, Sisters Together, Soul Food, Etc. Part I. The African American Overweight And Obesity Problem. The African American Weight Problem -- Overweight And Obesity Among African Americans -- Part Ii. Sociocultural Issues. Body Image Preferences Among African Americans -- Food Preferences Among African Americans -- Exercise And Physical Fitness Perspectives Among African Americans -- Adding African American Culture To Health, Physical Fitness, Diet, And Food Programs -- Part Iii. The New Cultural Approach. The New Black Cultural Diet And Lifestyle. Eric J. Bailey. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. CONTENTS......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Part I. The African American Overweight and Obesity Problem......Page 14 1. The African American Weight Problem......Page 16 2. Overweight and Obesity among African Americans......Page 36 Part II. Sociocultural Issues......Page 53 3. Body Image Preferences among African Americans......Page 56 4. Food Preferences among African Americans......Page 74 5. Exercise and Physical Fitness Perspectives among African Americans......Page 94 6. Adding African American Culture to Health, Physical Fitness, Diet, and Food Programs......Page 118 Part III. The New Cultural Approach......Page 142 7. The New Black Cultural Diet and Lifestyle......Page 144 Appendix: Useful Sources......Page 166 Bibliography......Page 170 Index......Page 180 "Anthropologist Eric Bailey uses a cultural and holistic analysis of African American food preferences to show how black Americans generally perceive health, body image, food, dieting, physical fitness, and exercise. As is true of Americans overall, black Americans are becoming more overweight and obese than ever before. So, too, they are seeing the consequences: heart attacks, strokes, hypertension, and Type II diabetes at earlier and earlier ages. Bailey offers a new "cultural" diet for black Americans and a prescription for working collectively, not only to understand this critical health issue, but also to establish a lifestyle strategy that will be both effective and manageable."--BOOK JACKET