Relationship between obesity's adverse health risk and body mass index in African-American women.

Overweight and obesity are major threats to public health in the United States, affecting more than 60% of the adult population. African-American women are disproportionately represented in the largest increases of overweight and obese Americans, and they are at greater risk for poor health and obesity's related disorders. This descriptive study assessed African-American women's knowledge of obesity's adverse consequences and examined the relationship between their knowledge of obesity's health risk and their body mass index (BMI). Data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation, ANOVA, paired t test, and Chi-square test. Findings from the study suggested that African-American women in this study had a moderate knowledge of obesity's adverse consequences. No relationship was observed between African-American women's knowledge of obesity's adverse consequences and their BMIs. In addition, findings suggested that there is a strong need to develop educational programs addressing obesity's adverse consequences, targeting women with a high school or less education.