非裔美國婦女的肥胖與種族歧視有關

一項研究指出，非裔美國婦女肥胖率高與種族歧視的言論和態度有關。

在美國，胖人在過去幾十年里人數猛增，其中增長最快的是非裔美國婦女——約半數的非裔美國婦女在目前被視爲肥胖。

研究稱，遭受種族歧視會造成嚴重的心理壓力，從而導致肥胖。研究表明，經常承受壓力會導致重要的神經內分泌功能失調，進而引發體內多餘脂肪的儲存。

在這項研究中，參與者在1997年和2009年被記錄最多的是他們經常遭遇到的“日常”種族歧視，比如外出吃飯或購物時接受到糟糕的服務，以及因爲他們的種族問題而在工作中，在住房問題上，甚至治安問題上都受到不好的對待（“終生”種族歧視）。

調查結果顯示，與那些在這兩個時間段內受歧視較少的人相比，在1997年和2009年經常受到日常種族歧視的參與者中，69%的人更有可能成爲肥胖者。經常受到終生種族歧視的婦女也面臨更大的肥胖風險。

For African-American women, being the target of racist remarks and attitudes is tied to a higher risk for obesity, according to researchers from the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University.

The link between racism and obesity was greatest among women who suffered from consistently high prejudice over a 12-year period.

The research, published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology, was based on data from the Black Women’s Health Study, a longitudinal study that enrolled and followed 59,000 African-American women beginning in 1995.

Through the use of questionnaires, the study gathered information on lifestyle factors, experiences of racism, height and weight, and other factors.

Obesity in the United States has increased rapidly over the past few decades with the greatest increases in African-American women —about half of African-American women are currently labeled as obese.

Experiencing racism —a form of severe psychosocial stress —can contribute to obesity. Research on both animals and humans suggest that constant exposure to stress can result in dysregulation of important neuroendocrine functions which can in turn trigger the storage of excess body fat.

For the study, participants were asked in 1997 and in 2009 to rate how often they experienced “everyday” racism, such as receiving lousy service while eating out or shopping, and whether they had been treated poorly because of their race on the job, in housing, or by the police (“lifetime” racism).

The findings revealed that participants who had reported the most everyday racism in both 1997 and 2009 were 69 percent more likely to become obese compared to those in the lowest category at both intervals. Women who reported more lifetime racism were also at greater risk for obesity.

“Experiences of racism may explain in part the high prevalence of obesity among African-American women,” said lead author Yvette C. Cozier, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University.

Cozier suggests that workplace- and community-based programs designed to eliminate racism as well as interventions to reduce racism-induced stress would be important strategies, especially in high-risk communities.