A brief overview of
the health issue
African American dietary habits,
food choices and cooking methods have a deep connection to the African American
culture. These habits were formed over time due to what the African Americans
underwent in their history (James, 2004). Soul food is a term given to the
African American cuisine which is significantly “fried, roasted, and boiled
food dishes using primarily chicken, pork, pork fat, organ meats, sweet
potatoes, corn, and green leafy vegetables” (James, 2004, p. 351). According to
James (2004), myths and inaccurate information affect the dietary intake of
African Americans. Some of the aspects on health nutrition which come into
focus are the size of the servings, obtaining information from food labels, low
budget healthy diets, healthy dining out, and food safety. African Americans
are shown to have diets which are high in fats and calories, and low in fruits,
vegetables and grains. Their diets also have significant portions of
salt-cured, smoked, and nitrite-cured foods. The Food Guide Pyramid has
recommendations on food intake but the Africa Americans are shown to be lagging
behind modifying their diets (James, 2004).
Statistics about
the scope of the problem
Statistics show that maintaining a
proper diet is a big challenge for African Americans. In the study, it was only
10 percent that had a good diet while 16 percent had a poor diet with 74
percent in need of improving their diets. Comparing African Americans, whites,
and other ethnic groups in terms of poor diet, it is shown to be 28 percent, 16
percent, and 14 percent respectively. On Health Eating Index, African Americans
averagely scored 61.1 implying a general need for diet improvement since this
score is below 80. Their scores on the Food Guide Pyramid were neither
impressing: “grain group (18%), vegetable group (29%), fruit group (16%), milk
group (15%), and meat group (35%)” (James, 2004, p. 351).
Its implications
for health
The African American diet predisposes
African Americans to obesity and other chronic diseases such as heart attacks
(James, 2004).
Persons
Specific persons who are likely
to make dietary changes in African American settings included “women, men with
specific health problem, young adults (18-30), elderly people with specific problem
and college-educated or higher income individuals” (James, 2004, p. 355). Food
shopping and preparation is mainly carried out by women in an African American
setting and therefore they present the best opportunity for dietary change. Female
friends and relatives were noted to play a significant role in availing
nutrition information. Husbands relied on their wives on food decisions. On the
other hand, the men were least concern about nutritional issues. The only class
of men who would have some concerns about nutritional issues were those who had
specific health problems. Elderly African Americans only change their diets
after being diagnosed with a disease (James, 2004).
Extended family
In an African American setting,
an extended family forms an integral part of an individual and therefore influences
his or her dietary habit to a great extent. It is a common habit among African
Americans to have gathering of extended families. In these gathering food is
usually an important part. These gathering usually have party moods and foods which
are served usually are not those that have been seriously considered for their
nutritional value but rather for their tastes. In these gathering therefore
unhealthy food is mostly served. Extended families are a powerful source of
influence for individual and therefore the kind of diet that is consumed at
such gathering affect the view that people have towards food (James, 2004). Tibbs
et al (2001) showed that African American parental modeling on eating patterns
is often taken up by the children. Their study showed that when parents model
healthful diets in children, the impact is long term.
Neighborhood
For the African Americans, the
African American church is powerful force which shapes their social and
political lives. If there is need for nutrition education, the African American
church will offer an influential platform to deliver such lessons. In the study,
neighborhood churches were preferred as better platforms than healthcare
centers because of their proximity (James, 2004).
Where food is bought from also
forms part of neighborhood and include grocery stores and supermarkets. Soul
food restaurants equally form part of this group. Availing healthy food will
help the community to stay. In the study, some women complained that their
neighborhood did not offer the kind of healthy food they wanted and thus they
had to travel long distances to get this desired food. They were also complains
that schools are reversing what parents teach their children about health food
– the schools serve fast foods in school (James, 2004). In a study undertaken
by Eugene, Baxter, Mama, and Lee (2011) it was shown that some African
Americans were unaware of local opportunities for healthful eating.
References
Airhienbuwa, C. & Webster,
J.D. (2004) Culture and African Contexts of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and
Support. Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance.
Eugeni, M.L., Baxter, M., Mama,
S.K., & Lee, R.E. (2011). Disconnections of African American Public Housing
Residents: Connections to Physical Activity, Dietary habits and Obesity. American Journal of Community Psychology,
47(3), 264276.
James, D. (2004). Factors
influencing food choices, dietary intake, and nutrition-related attitudes among
African Americans: application of a culturally sensitive model. Ethnicity
& Health, 9(4), 349-367.
Tibbs, et al. (2001). The
relationship between parental modeling, eating patterns, and dietary intake
among African-American parents. Journal
of the American Dietetic Association, 101(5), 535-541.
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