Press Release Summary = HUNGRY FOR MORE: A Keeping it Real Guide for Black Women on Weight and Body Image describes effects of overweight on family.
Press Release Body = African American Couples Fatter than Singles
According to a 2004 Centers for Disease Control study titled "Marital Status and Health," married African American couples are less physically inactive than single, divorced, and widowed people. However, surprisingly, more black husbands and wives are overweight and obese compared to African Americans who have never married, or are widowed or living with a partner.
Robyn McGee author of Hungry for More: A Keeping it Real Guide for Black Women on Weight and Body Image, says overweight and obesity can put an extra strain on a marriage.
\"Some women are overweight before they marry and engage in extreme dieting to fit into that beautiful wedding gown\" explains McGee. \"Others become \'fat and happy\' in the years after \'jumping the broom.\' Then there's the weight gain that comes with childbearing and from the natural aging process.\"
Despite the cultural factors that can contribute to a couple's weight problems, some women particularly feel enormous pressure and prejudice from both inside and outside the home. A husband who years ago married a slender bride may feel "tricked" by his now-overweight wife--even if his waistline has also expanded with time. Karoline, middle-aged high school teacher says hates to look at "the skinny girl" in her wedding photos and covers her face whenever a camera is pointed her way. Other women admitted to feeling ashamed of their heavier bodies and have lost interest in having sex now that they have put on extra pounds. Even though being overweight does not automatically equal poor health, carrying extra pounds often can lead to physical dangers.
\"When diabetes or hypertension hits home, weight becomes a critical issue that affects the entire household,\" writes McGee. \"The whole family may have to adjust to mom's or dad\'s new aches and pains, stress headaches and fatigue, short tempers and high anxiety, frequent doctor's appointments, money spent on new medications, revolving diets, swearing off salt and sweets, and trying to remain positive in the face of a serious health concern.\"
2012
