Obesity disparities among Mexican-Americans and socioeconomic factors

Obesity's a condition in which people have too much fat in their body and as a result of this excess fat, they end up having health problems such as diabetes and heart-related problems including mobility issues and a decreased life expectancy. A person is considered to be obese when their Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeds 30 gm and the BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight in grams by the square of a person's height in meters.

Today, obesity is a major problem facing our society and more than one-third (35.7%) of Americans are obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). There are many implications of obesity for the society and one such outcome is the higher medical costs for obese people. It is estimated that in 2008 alone, $147 billion was spent for treating diseases related to obesity. Some groups are more affected by obesity than others and the rate of obesity is not the same among different ethnic groups and classes. Out of the different ethnic groups, Mexican-Americans are likely to have the highest rate of obesity and this is more profound among younger children and adolescents of Mexican-American ancestry.

Opposing View

An opposing to view to this thesis is that obesity has increased rapidly among all ethnic groups during the last couple of decades. According to CDC (2012), the incidence of obesity increased in adults at all education and income levels between 1988 to 2008. Also, obesity increased across all ethnic groups during the same period. Non-Hispanic black men, and women of all races have become obese during the last two decades according to the CDC. The obesity is especially higher among women who have a college degree and thereby a higher earning potential. This is because they are vulnerable to both the potential reasons for obesity, namely, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Since all ethnic groups are exposed to the same two reasons, the chance of obesity remains high among all groups. These arguments negate the view that only people of Mexican-American ethnicity have the highest chance of obesity.

Conclusion

Different ethnic groups have varying probabilities to becomes obese, with Mexican-Americans being the most likely people to have obesity-related problems. This is because Mexican-Americans have to face other factors such as parental obesity and low socio-economic status when compared to other ethnic groups. This is why Mexican-Americans in general and Hispanic children in particular are at a greater risk for obesity than other groups.