Famous Black Women Battling Obesity with Individual Campaigns

5 months ago

Stars using their platform to get “sistas” moving and talking about their health

In case you weren’t already aware, black women have the highest obesity rate of any group of Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control. That startling statistic is why famous black women, like actress Nicole Ari Parker and Star Jones, have launched individual health-related campaigns that are enjoying success months after their debut. Parker has her line of “Save Your Do” Gymwraps – a headband designed to minimize sweat and preserve hairstyles, a particularly useful accessory for many black women who fret about needing to visit a salon every two weeks. Jones, who was morbidly obese prior to a life saving open-heart surgery and weight loss procedure, has been traveling the country talking to women about obesity. Earlier this year, Jones convened a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation panel on the topic to an overflow crowd. Four out of five black women have a body mass index above the 25 percent threshold for being overweight or obese, according to the CDC. But with black women having higher self-esteem that white women – 68 percent of overweight black women reported being happy with themselves compared to 41 percent of averaged-sized or thin white women who said the same, according to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post – there is concern that too few black women grasp the urgency of healthy living and weight management. (Associated Press)