Topics in Minority Health
Prevalence of Overweight for Hispanics -- United States,
1982-1984
Since 1960, CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
has been conducting health and nutrition examination surveys for
national, regional, and target populations. In 1982-1984, the
Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES)
obtained health and nutrition data on the three largest Hispanic
subgroups in the United States: 1) Mexican Americans in selected
counties in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas;
2) Cuban Americans in Dade County (Miami), Florida; and 3) Puerto
Ricans in the New York City area, including parts of New York,
New Jersey, and Connecticut (1,2). These three subgroups
constituted approximately 76% of the 1980 Hispanic population in
the United States. This report presents selected findings for
height, weight, and overweight by age, sex, and Hispanic origin.
"Overweight" was defined as body mass index (BMI) (weight in kg
divided by height in m2) equal to or greater than the 85th
percentile of men or women aged 20-29 years from the Second
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II),
conducted in 1976-1980 (3). "Severe overweight" was defined as a
BMI equal to or greater than the 95th percentile from NHANES II.
Men were categorized as "overweight" if BMI was greater than or
equal to 27.8 and "severely overweight" if BMI was greater than
or equal to 31.1. For women, BMI cutoff points were 27.3 and
32.2, respectively.
The HHANES found that:-- Approximately 30% of Mexican-American
men, 29% of Cuban-American men, and 25% of Puerto Rican men were
overweight (Figure 1). Approximately 39% of Mexican-American
women, 34% of Cuban-American women, and 37% of Puerto Rican women
were overweight (Figure 2). For both men and women, prevalences
varied by age group.
Approximately 10% of Mexican-American men, 11% of
Cuban-American men, and 8% of Puerto Rican men were severely
overweight (Table 1).
Approximately 16% of Mexican-American women, 8% of
Cuban-American women, and 14% of Puerto Rican women were severely
overweight (Table 1).
Mean weights for Mexican-American, Cuban-American, and Puerto
Rican men aged 18-74 years were 166.0, 167.9, and 163.2 pounds,
respectively; for women, mean weights were 144.4, 140.4, and
141.7 pounds, respectively (Table 2).
Mean heights for Mexican-American men and women aged 18-74
years were 67.1 and 61.8 inches; for Cuban Americans, 67.4 and
61.8 inches; and for Puerto Ricans, 67.0 and 61.8 inches,
respectively (Table 2).
Reported by: Div of Health Examination Statistics, National
Center for Health Statistics; Div of Nutrition, Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: The estimated prevalences of overweight reported
for Hispanic Americans were, in general, substantially higher
than those reported for non-Hispanic Americans aged 20-74 years
(4). For non-Hispanic men, the prevalence of overweight in
1976-1980 was 24% in whites and 26% in blacks, or approximately
4-5 percentage points lower than the prevalence in
Hispanic-American men (4). For non-Hispanic women, the prevalence
of overweight in whites was 25%--approximately 10-15 percentage
points lower than in Hispanic-American women. For black women,
however, the prevalence of overweight (44%) was slightly higher
than in Hispanic-American women. The prevalence of severe
overweight reflected a similar ethnicity-specific pattern--only
black women had a substantially higher prevalence (19%) of severe
overweight than Hispanic-American women. Most persons gain weight
as they age, at least through middle age; therefore, the high
prevalence of overweight among Hispanic-American adults aged
20-24, especially among women, is of particular concern.
Overweight is an established risk factor for
non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Because of a
higher prevalence of overweight, Mexican Americans are at twofold
to fourfold higher risk for developing NIDDM than are
non-Hispanic white Americans (5). In addition, the average age of
diagnosis of NIDDM in Mexican Americans is several years younger
than in non-Hispanic white Americans (5), perhaps reflecting a
longer duration of overweight in Mexican Americans than in
non-Hispanic white Americans.
Several approaches can be used to treat obesity (6,7). For
example, the Michigan Health Council has published detailed
guidelines for weight-loss programs for adults. These guidelines
and experience in the treatment of obesity suggest that dietary
modification and regular exercise, such as walking, can improve
and help maintain weight loss (6,7). Although more research is
needed on the primary prevention of obesity, younger persons may
also benefit from efforts aimed at preventing obesity, such as
weight-loss programs for overweight adolescents (8). Recent
studies of the treatment of adolescent obesity suggest that the
most effective interventions for long-term weight changes in
adolescents include counseling both the parents and the child and
emphasizing small but successive changes in diet and exercise
(9).
References
NCHS. 1985 Plan and operation of the Hispanic Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey, 1982-84. Vital Health Stat
1985;1(19); DHHS publication no. (PHS)85-1321.
NCHS, M Najjar, R Kuczmarski. Anthropometric data and
prevalence of overweight for Hispanics: 1982-84. Vital Health
Stat 1989;11(239); DHHS publication no. (PHS)89-1689.
NCHS, Najjar MF, Rowland M. Anthropometric reference data and
prevalence of overweight, United States, 1976-80. Vital Health
Stat 1987;11(238); DHHS publication no. (PHS)87-1688.
Life Sciences Research Office, Federation of American
Societies for Experimental Biology. Nutrition monitoring in the
United States--an update report on nutrition monitoring.
Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture/US Department of
Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, 1989; DHHS
publication no. (PHS)89-1255.
Raymond CA. Diabetes in Mexican-Americans: pressing problem in
a growing population. JAMA 1988;259:1772.
Council on Scientific Affairs. Treatment of obesity in adults.
JAMA 1988;260:2547-51.
Michigan Health Council. Toward safe weight loss: recommended
interim guidelines for adult weight loss programs in Michigan.
East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan Health Council, 1988.
Mellin LM. Adolescent obesity. J Dent Children
1988;(Jan-Feb):64-7.
Mellin LM, Slinkard LA, Irwin CE. Adolescent obesity
intervention: validation of the SHAPEDOWN Program. J Am Diet
Assoc 1987;87:333-8.
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