obesity in american samoa
Obesity in American Samoa
While researching this project I discovered an amazing family centered culture in which I would be proud to belong. I discovered the beauties of a unique and unfamiliar group of islands, a faraway place with no apparent connection to the U.S. mainland. I found American Samoa. I also discovered a very distinct problem, a disease if you will. Obesity the disease is the cause of multiple health issues. So many that trying to count would be consuming. Obesity, as defined by the World Health Organization is having a (BMI) Body mass index, defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters squared (kg/m2), of or above 30. According to the (WHO) 2008 study on world Obesity, 300 million men and another 200 million women are Obese worldwide. In American Samoa hypertension and obesity are significant health problems in the population. Leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease. A recent comparison by the C.I.A. World fact book suggests that 74.6 % of All Samoans over the age of 18 are Obese. That is more than double that of the United States whose obesity rate is 33.9%. And we in the U.S. are a fat nation! That statistic alone is very alarming. Why out of everywhere on the planet is Obesity most prevalent in American Samoa? Let’s find out. There are several factors of influence on Obesity that this project is analyzing then addressing. Social, cultural, epidemiological and environmental factors weigh extremely heavy in this analysis and will be explored. Social factors that might have led to this disease’s prevalence include physical attributes, family habits, education level, and economic status. The physical attributes include large statue or as we call it, “big bones.” This would increase the (BMI) of Samoans alone by as much as 15% according to the Central Intelligence Agency. Family habits regarding types of foods eaten and sedentary
While researching this project I discovered an amazing family centered culture in which I would be proud to belong. I discovered the beauties of a unique and unfamiliar group of islands, a faraway place with no apparent connection to the U.S. mainland. I found American Samoa. I also discovered a very distinct problem, a disease if you will. Obesity the disease is the cause of multiple health issues. So many that trying to count would be consuming. Obesity, as defined by the World Health Organization is having a (BMI) Body mass index, defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters squared (kg/m2), of or above 30. According to the (WHO) 2008 study on world Obesity, 300 million men and another 200 million women are Obese worldwide. In American Samoa hypertension and obesity are significant health problems in the population. Leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease. A recent comparison by the C.I.A. World fact book suggests that 74.6 % of All Samoans over the age of 18 are Obese. That is more than double that of the United States whose obesity rate is 33.9%. And we in the U.S. are a fat nation! That statistic alone is very alarming. Why out of everywhere on the planet is Obesity most prevalent in American Samoa? Let’s find out. There are several factors of influence on Obesity that this project is analyzing then addressing. Social, cultural, epidemiological and environmental factors weigh extremely heavy in this analysis and will be explored. Social factors that might have led to this disease’s prevalence include physical attributes, family habits, education level, and economic status. The physical attributes include large statue or as we call it, “big bones.” This would increase the (BMI) of Samoans alone by as much as 15% according to the Central Intelligence Agency. Family habits regarding types of foods eaten and sedentary
References: Amy Knight, and William Dressler. "Social Context and Psychosocial Influences on Blood Pressure among American Samoans." American Journal of Physical Anthropology 103: (May):7–18, 1994. Baker, Paul, J. Hanna, and T. Baker. The Changing Samoans, 1986. Bindon, James R. "Dietary and Social Choices in American Samoa." The World and I, May: 1986, pp.174–185. CIA World Fact book publication. (2009). American Samoan statistics. IntelligenceAgency2009. Retrieved from Washington, DC: Central https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html Cote, James. Adolescent Storm and Stress: An Evaluation of the Mead-Freeman Controversy, 1994. Countries and their Cultures American Samoa government. American Samoa Statistical Yearbook, 1996. Environmental Factors of Obesity. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 03, 2008, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Environmental-Factors-Obesity-136086.html Every culture.com(2013) retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/American-Samoa.html#b#ixzz2KXBOIicS Ian Mason Environmental Factors of Obesity. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 03, 2008.Retrieved from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Environmental-Factors-Obesity-136086.html World Health Organization (2010). Western pacific region news release. American Samoan Obesity, County cooperation strategy commitment 2013-2017. Retrieved from http://www.wpro.who.int/about/copyright/en/