I wasn't getting much response on the Yard so here
One of the major issues on HBCU campuses today is fitness. As a staff member at NCCU, we are really concerned with the amount of overweight women (and by default men) on our campuses.
A high-ranking female administrator once said "It seems like these young ladies don't care about their bodies. They act like it's cute to show their midriffs, even though it's often misshapen and jutting out. On top of this, they put belly rings in their navels to bring attention to it. Many of them have hips like a grown child-rearing woman. These women are going to deal with weight problems seven to eight years down the road."
Those were words from a prominent woman on campus, and many of the staff and faculty feel the same way. Sometimes, I believe that we as a people give too many excuses for why we can be fat or obese, and not enough for why we should try to remain fit.
We've heard about black and latino women having different body types, from other types of women. I can't argue with that, but the difference might be the chicken/hamburgers we're eating every other day. It is ironic that just last week, we had many people on this board condemning smoking, saying it leads to emphysema, heart disease and lung cancer; yet we as a community ignore overeating which can lead to ulcers, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
There are three factors which determine one's weight: heredity, physical activity, and diet.
Heredity obviously can't be controlled, because you cannot change your genetics. There is a natural distribution of body types, and it's possible to be "large" without being unhealthy. There's the whole discussion on what society considers attractive, but I'm not going to address that here.
The other two factors are a major problem not only for Blacks, but for Americans at large. We live in a society where we generally don't exercise very much, and generally have a poor diet. Unlike Europe and elsewhere in the world, where people shop and work near their home, the US is less dense in population and we usually rely upon cars to get around (not always by choice).
Also, we tend to eat based upon convenience, not health. In order to keep up with a busy lifestyle, we eat foods that are quick and portable which tend to be high in fat and protein. Blacks are more affected by this than others because culturally we tend to eat a lot of fried food, and are more likely to have all members of the household working, which justifies eating quick meals.
Being large doesn't always equate to being unhealthy or out of shape, because of the genetics factor, but it is important to pay attention to what you eat and try to stay active. Unfortunately it can be difficult given how most Americans live. Holla!
If you go onto Duke or UNC's campus, the difference can be striking among the African-American women there and the A-A women on NCCU or Shaw's campus.
The instances of obesity are NO-WHERE NEAR as high as it is on our campus. I don't know if it's unique to this area, but it concerns me. Yes, Southern men like "thick" women, but I'm concerned about an 18 y/o woman who is 5'4" 140 pounds. That is the ideal size for a woman for me, but then again, I'm in my late twenties. That 18 y/o has a minimum of 15 - 20 pounds to look forward to as she marches to adulthood, and an additional 15 - 20 pounds to look forward to during pregnancy.
I don't know if it's the elimination of sanctioned recess periods, or the lack of parks to play in, or whatever. But it's a problem, and we need to spend some of that anti-tobacco money to run commercials to remind people not to overeat.
I agree with the both of you on different aspects. Like Neosoulbrother said, it's not just a problem in the Black community, but in America as a whole. And like WileECoyote said, we as a people give too many excuses as to the weight problems. Even though the American culture is a very lazy and lax culture, I think the different sub-cultures (Black/White, North/South, wealthy/unprivaledged) make the difference.
As it has been mentioned, Black women are in a way expected to have a uniques thickness that some guys supposedly like. Being that we are always criticised for having **** hair, large nostrils, and other features unique to the people of the African Diaspora, we are attempting to learn not to shun those unique features, but instead to embrace them (this is where the excuses often come in). The difference between thick and overweight is often overlooked.
People from down South are known for their soulfood cooking, while those from up North (especailly from big cities) are known for their fascination with salads and fad diets. These eating habits have become a tradition that people all too well follow.
Children of wealthy parents are more often getting a home cooked meal as opposed to the children of the more underprivaledged parents, who are left to eat more fast foods. Not to mention the educational differences of the two, and that wealthier kids are more likely to paticipate in more organized athletic activities (because their parents can afford keep them in the programs).
But, I agree that we need to spend more of our time and resources addressing the overweight issue in our communities.
I agree with all of you, but I still don't see any suggestions as to HOW we are to correct this problem, only reasons why we are generally overweight and almost seem to promote obesity. I myself feel that it is important that the main source of the student diet promote healthy eating. I'll give it to A&T (since I don't know about other schools) on somewhat giving it a shot. The salad bar in our cafeteria is placed closer to the seating area than the regular service line. There are also people back there to help you with other items at the service bar. We also offer take home containers for salads. However, this still doesn't get the job done. Its is not enough to simply promote that the food is out there, the mentality has to change as well. As long as we are willing to accept obesity as being "okay" and as long as there is a large constituency of people that accept it as being attractive, then we're going to have problems. If we don't also include the fact that obesity is unhealthy as well, then we'll still have the problem. Are there enough facilites in or around campus for students to work out? A&T has two facilities as well as a YMCA within walking distance of campus, however none of them are promoted. I got a whole lot more to say, but my train of thought just got derailed... :?
IMHO, half of the problem at NCCU is that stupid bus. Our campus isn't even that big. The bus has contributed to the obesity and caused campus life to decline since students don't have to cross each other's path.
We have a whole bus system. But I dunno that that necessarily contributes to our problem. I used to take it all the time, I'm still not fat. But we're also expanding, so we have a decent need for one. Not to mention that half of our students stay off campus. I wonder how much the cafeferia food actually has to do with it though. Ideally, the food is supposed to be selected on nutritional value. But do we really follow through on that? I know we don't get the highest quality food, simply because it wouldn't be cost efficient to do so. Add on that we also have a Krispy Kreme next to a Pzza Hut, and all the sudden it halfway becomes the school's fault. There are also other options on campus that I know aren't healthy (Chick-Fil-A, Aggie Late Night). So then we also have to look at the school itself and ask "What can we do to better our own menu, as well as promote exercise and a healthy lifestyle?" What may actually have to happen is that not only is it CHEAPER to eat better, but it will also have to not take like rabbit food. How to go about that task, I don't know due to the fact that I don't know not only how my school allots money for food, but how other schools do it as well.
Here at Skegee, we have taken a step in combating the obesity in the black community. We offer hip-hop aerobics (which is so fun and get u crunk) twice a week and throughout the year, we host different lil forums educating not only the school but the community on obesity.
That's a great idea @ tigress. . .
The only issue with that, is the classes will be filled with the physically fit!
The people who most need to be concerned will probably feel too embarassed.
