title: Self-reported weight loss practices among African American and Hispanic adults in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe weight loss methods used and interactions with health care professionals on the issue of weight among African Americans and Hispanics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred thirty-seven African American and 526 Hispanic adults who self-described as being overweight participated in a telephone interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exercise and healthy eating were the 2 most commonly used weight loss methods among both groups; prescription medications were the least-utilized weight loss aid. Forty-one percent of African Americans and 35% of Hispanics reported having been advised to lose weight by a health care professional.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Do-it-yourself approaches to weight loss predominate among African Americans and Hispanics; formal assistance is rarely used. Physician advice on weight loss is suboptimal.
authors.affiliation: St. Francis Hospital/Catholic Health East, Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
authors.forename: Valentine J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Burroughs
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nonas
authors.forename: Christine T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rohay
authors.forename: Andrea M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Harkins
authors.forename: Theodore K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Kyle
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Burton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D015431:Weight Loss; D055815:Young Adult