title: Values and beliefs about obesity and weight reduction among African American and Caucasian women.
abstract: Designing culturally relevant weight-reduction programs requires understanding of ethnic variations and illness beliefs. Preliminary data on the values and beliefs about obesity and weight reduction were obtained from women of different ethnic/racial backgrounds. Purposive sampling was used to recruit African American (AA) and Caucasian (C) women with a body mass index (BMI)>or= 30 from the general internal medicine clinics of a large tertiary care facility. Four focus groups (2 with AA women and 2 with C women) consisting of a total of 20 subjects were conducted in a 2-month period. AA women cited culture specific barriers to weight loss more so than did C women. AA women and C women also differed on how health care professionals could help them with weight loss. These findings have implications for nursing's role in the design of culturally relevant weight-loss programs.
authors.affiliation: The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, USA.
authors.forename: Carol E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Blixen
authors.forename: Anisha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thacker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000208:ethnology*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health / Q000208:ethnology