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• African American women have the highest rates of being overweight or obese compared to other groups in the U.S. About four out of five African American women are overweight or obese.
• In 2010, African Americans were 1.4 times as likely to be obese as Non- Hispanic Whites.
• In 2010, African American women were 70% more likely to be obese than Non-Hispanic White women.
• In 2007-2010, African American girls were 80% more likely to be overweight than Non-Hispanic White girls.

Age-adjusted percentage of persons 20 years of age and over who are overweight or obese, 2007-2010. (Persons are considered overweight if they have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or greater.) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

	Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Men	70.0	73.6	1.0
Women	80.0	60.3	1.3

Source:  : CDC, 2012. Health United States, 2011. Table 74.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus11.pdf [PDF | 9.8MB]

Age-adjusted percentage of persons 18 years of age and over who are overweight but not obese, 2010. (Persons are considered overweight if they have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or greater.) National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)

	Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Men	36.9	40.6	0.9
Women	30.4	26.8	1.1
Total	33.3	33.7	1.0

Source:  CDC 2012.  Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: 2010  Table 31.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_252.pdf [PDF | 3MB]

Age-adjusted percentage of overweight persons 20 years of age and over who are obese, 2007-2010. (Persons are considered obese if they have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater.) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

	Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Men	38.3	34.1	1.1
Women	54.0	32.5	1.7

Source:  CDC, 2012. Health United States, 2011. Table 74.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus11.pdf [PDF | 9.8MB]

Age-adjusted percentage of persons 18 years of age and over who are obese, 2010. (Persons are considered obese if they have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater.) National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)

	Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Men	31.6	27.5	1.1
Women	41.2	24.5	1.7
Total	36.8	26.1	1.4

Source:  CDC 2012.  Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: 2010.  Table 31.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_252.pdf [PDF | 3MB]

CHILDREN

Percentage overweight among children and adolescents 6-11 years of age, 2007-2010

	Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Girls	24.5	14.0	1.8
Boys	23.3	18.6	1.3

Source:  : CDC, 2012. Health United States, 2011. Table 75.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus11.pdf [PDF | 9.8MB]

Percentage of obese children and adolescents 6-17 years of age. 2009-2010

African American	Non-Hispanic White	African American/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
25.7	14.6	1.8

Source:  Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. America's Children: Key National Indicators of well-Being. 2012. Table HEALTH7
http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/tables/health7.asp

Percentage of children and teens ages 2-19 who were told by a doctor that they were overweight, 2005-2008

Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
49.6	38.5	1.3

Source:  2011 National Healthcare Disparities Report. Table 6_4_4.1
http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr11/index.html

Percent of children age 2-17 for whom a doctor or other health provider ever gave advice about amount and kind of physical activity, United States, 2008

Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
34.7	32.2	1.1

Source:  2011 National Healthcare Quality Report. Table 9_1_8.2b
http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr11/index.html

Percent of children age 2-17 for whom a doctor or other health provider ever gave advice about eating healthy, United States, 2008

Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
52.6	49.0	1.1

Source:  2011 National Healthcare Quality Report. Table 9_1_9.2b
http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr11/index.html

ADOLESCENTS

Percentage of high school students who were overweight, 2011

	Black	White	Black / White Ratio
Girls	19.6	13.8	1.4
Boys	12.8	14.7	0.9
Total	16.2	14.2	1.1

Source:  CDC, 2012. Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance - United States, 2011. Table 101.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss6104.pdf [PDF | 3.5MB]

Percentage of high school students who were obese, 2011

	Black	White	Black / White Ratio
Girls	18.6	7.7	2.4
Boys	17.7	15.0	1.2
Total	18.2	11.5	1.6

Source:  CDC, 2012. Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance - United States, 2011. Table 101.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss6104.pdf [PDF | 3.5MB]

HEALTH IMPACT OF OBESITY

• More than 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight.¹
• People who are overweight are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, high levels of blood fats, and LDL cholesterol -- all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. ¹
• In 2010, African Americans were 70% less likely to engage in active physical activity as Non-Hispanic Whites.
• Deaths from heart disease and stroke are almost twice the rate for African Americans as compared to Whites.

Physical Activity:

Percentage Inactive physical activity among adults 18 & over: 2010 (Did not meet federal physical activity guidelines)

Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
58.4	45.1	1.3

Source:  CDC 2012. Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: 2010. Table 29.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_252.pdf [PDF | 3MB]

Percentage Some Leisure Time Physical Activity Among Adults 18 & over: 2010 (Met aerobic guidelines only)

Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
19.9	28.5	0.7

Source:  CDC 2012. Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: 2010. Table 29.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_252.pdf [PDF | 3MB]

Percentage Regular Leisure Physical Activity Among Adults 18 & over: 2010 (Met federal physical activity guidelines)

African American	Non-Hispanic White	African American/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
17.3	22.8	0.8

Source:  CDC 2012. Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: 2010. Table 29.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_252.pdf [PDF | 3MB]

Percent of adults age 18 and over who were obese who were given advice about exercise, United States, 2008

Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
54.7	57.8	0.9

Source:  2011 National Healthcare Quality Report. Table 9_1_3.2b
http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr11/index.html

Percent of adults age 18 and over who were obese who were given advice about eating fewer high fat or high cholesterol foods, United States, 2008

Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/ Non-Hispanic White Ratio
48.0	48.7	1.0

Source:  2011 National Healthcare Quality Report. Table 9_1_4.2b
http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr11/index.html

At a Glance – Risk Factors:

Obesity is a risk factor for several diseases. For statistics on these related diseases see:

Diabetes – See Diabetes and African Americans
Heart Disease – See Heart Disease and African Americans
Stroke – See Stroke and African Americans