Self-reported weight loss practices among African American and Hispanic adults in the United States.
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.
Burroughs
Valentine J
VJ
St. Francis Hospital/Catholic Health East, Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Nonas
Cathy
C
Sweeney
Christine T
CT
Rohay
Jeffrey M
JM
Harkins
Andrea M
AM
Kyle
Theodore K
TK
Burton
Steven L
SL
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