Essay Undergraduate 1,822 words

Obesity and Health Disparities Among African American Women

~10 min read 7 sections Health · Population Health

Abstract

This paper examines health disparities related to obesity among African American women, analyzing the cultural, socioeconomic, biological, and environmental factors that contribute to elevated rates of obesity and associated conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Drawing on the Black Perspective's principle of affirmation and Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the paper situates social work theory within an advocacy framework. It explores implications for social work research, health policy, and clinical practice, arguing that addressing lower-level community needs — including safety, nutrition access, and health equity — is essential before self-actualization and meaningful health improvement can be achieved.

Key Takeaways

Introduction: Obesity rates and disparities among Black women
Health Problems and Factors That Influence Disparities: Socioeconomic, cultural, biological, and equity factors
Principles of the Black Perspective and Theoretical Framework: Affirmation principle, Maslow, and social work theory
Implications for Social Work Research: Research priorities for addressing obesity disparities
Implications for Policy: Policy redistribution and community infrastructure needs
Implications for Practice: Cultural competency and interprofessional collaboration
Conclusion: Synthesis of affirmation, needs, and advocacy

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What makes this paper effective

Grounds the analysis in concrete statistics (e.g., 20.5% vs. 15.6% obesity rates) to establish the scope of the disparity before moving into causal explanation.
Integrates multiple frameworks — the Black Perspective's principle of affirmation and Maslow's hierarchy of needs — into a unified argument rather than treating them as isolated concepts.
Maintains a consistent throughline: each section (research, policy, practice) returns to the idea that lower-level community needs must be met before self-actualization and health improvement become possible.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates layered causal analysis — it moves from structural factors (socioeconomics, environment) to individual-level barriers (health literacy, biology) and then maps solutions across three distinct domains: research, policy, and practice. This tripartite implications structure is a hallmark of professional social work and public health writing.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with statistical evidence to justify the problem's urgency, then systematically unpacks contributing factors. A conceptual section introduces the theoretical lens (Black Perspective + Maslow), followed by three parallel implications sections — research, policy, and practice — each applying the same framework to a different level of intervention. The conclusion synthesizes these strands without introducing new material.

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Essay 1,822 words

Introduction

Obesity is a health problem that disproportionately affects African Americans compared to the white population, particularly among women. As a result, African American women are at greater risk of developing diabetes, experiencing cardiac arrest, or suffering from heart disease (Banerjee et al., 2018). While obesity is not a problem that affects only people of color, it affects them more than others: 20.5% of African American girls versus only 15.6% of white girls have been identified as obese (State of Obesity, 2018). One of the Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicator topics requiring attention from the health care community is "Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity" (2020 LHI Topics, 2018). It is therefore important that this issue be addressed with particular attention given to African American women.

6 Sections Hidden · 1,160 words

Health Problems and Factors That Influence Disparities360 words

Culture, socioeconomics, and biology are all problems and factors that influence disparities (Bilger et al., 2017). For the African American female population, stressors — such as living…

Principles of the Black Perspective and Theoretical Framework210 words

The principle of Affirmation is the first and most important of the six principles of the Black Perspective: "it celebrates the richness, productivity and vigor of the lives of African Americans and Blacks in the U.S. and in other parts of the world" (University, 2021). This principle…

Implications for Social Work Research175 words

The implication related to social work research is that social workers should be researching the various causes of obesity among Black women in particular and the Black population as a whole. This should include understanding the impediments to increasing health literacy and…

Implications for Policy200 words

The policy implication that must be addressed is the fact that without health equity, health literacy and preventive care are unlikely to be practiced effectively. Yet because health care has been commoditized and is often a…

Implications for Practice140 words

Health care workers must receive appropriate training in cultural sensitivity, increasing their cultural competencies so that they understand the best approaches to communicating with at-risk populations like Black women, who are more susceptible to developing obesity than members of the white population. Health care workers must also serve as advocates, working with community…

Conclusion75 words

Many factors affect health disparities, including environmental, socioeconomic, and biological influences. The Black principle of affirmation, however, is important to keep in…

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References

2020 LHI Topics. (2018). Nutrition, physical activity, and obesity. Retrieved from

Alva, M. L. (2020). Co-occurrence of diabetes and depression in the US. PloS One, 15(6), e0234718.

Banerjee, E. S., Herring, S. J., Hurley, K. E., Puskarz, K., Yebernetsky, K., & LaNoue, M. (2018). Overcoming obesity: A mixed methods study of the impact of primary care physician counseling on low-income African American women who successfully lost weight. American Journal of Health Promotion, 32(2), 374–380.

Bilger, M., Kruger, E. J., & Finkelstein, E. A. (2017). Measuring socioeconomic inequality in obesity: Looking beyond the obesity threshold. Health Economics, 26(8), 1052–1066.

Chinn, J. J., Martin, I. K., & Redmond, N. (2021). Health equity among Black women in the United States. Journal of Women's Health, 30(2), 212–219.

Hepburn, M. (2018). The variables associated with health promotion behaviors among urban Black women. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 50(4), 353–366.

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Knickman, J. R., & Elbel, B. (2019). Health care delivery in the United States (12th ed.). Springer Publishing.

Krumer-Nevo, M. (2017). Poverty and the political: Wresting the political out of and into social work theory, research and practice. European Journal of Social Work, 20(6), 811–822.

Michou, M., Panagiotakos, D. B., & Costarelli, V. (2018). Low health literacy and excess body weight: A systematic review. Central European Journal of Public Health, 26(3), 234–241.

Schneider, M. J. (2020). Introduction to public health (6th ed.). Jones and Bartlett Learning.

Siddharth, S., & Sharma, D. (2018). Racial disparity and triple-negative breast cancer in African-American women: A multifaceted affair between obesity, biology, and socioeconomic determinants. Cancers, 10(12), 514.

State of Obesity. (2018). Current status. Retrieved from

Tripathi, N. (2018). A valuation of Abraham Maslow's theory of self-actualization for the enhancement of quality of life. Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing, 9(3), 499–504.

Williams, A. (2017). Baltimore's failing schools are a tragedy of criminal proportions. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/opinion/education/350315-baltimores-failing-schools-are-a-tragedy-of-criminal-proportions

Key Concepts in This Paper

Health Disparities Obesity African American Women Health Equity Black Perspective Social Determinants Preventive Care Self-Actualization Cultural Competency Health Literacy