Epidemiology: Open Access

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Contributing Factors to Obesity in African American Children within the United States

Daphne Kaye Sharpe, Janice Collins-McNeil, Jerrell Wayne Jones, Jordan Faith Sharpe and Jasmine Kayla Hall

From 2007 to 2011 obesity has shown an increased prevalence among children within the United States. According to a report by Bell et al., childhood obesity affects approximately 12.5 million children aged 3 years to 12 years of age. Since the 1980s childhood obesity within the United States has tripled with the rate starting at 5% of African- American children (AA) and now it is 15%. According to the latest statistics from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health Report, the percentage of obese African American children between the ages of 6 to 17 years old between 2007-2008 was 22.4%. The health impact on African Americans regarding childhood obesity has sparked increasing concerns about the future health and wellbeing of this population. Causes of African-American childhood obesity are complex and vary considerably in nature. Childhood obesity has attracted the attention of many researchers who have investigated the relationship between childhood obesity and a variety of related factors Davis et al. A review of literature on the causes and driving force behind African American childhood obesity will provide a strong foundation in which researchers may utilize in the development of population specific interventions.