Currently, the rate at which individuals are becoming obese is alarming in the global community. Tiwari and Balasundaram (2023) affirm that this alarming increase of obese individuals calls for different measures to counter its impacts and ensure that individuals are aware of obesity and its impacts to both an individuals and a community at large. African Americans are not left behind in this health crisis as they prove to be among the most affected groups. Barrington et al. (2020) back this up by affirming that African Americans showed higher obesity rates compared to the other counterparts as a result of various reasons. Due to the significant impact of the problem to the communities and the country at large, it is vital for practical and affordable interventions to be developed and implemented.
Background
Obesity hits differently among different ethnic groups. It is a health issue that is disproportionate among the various racial and ethnic groups that make up the U.S. population (Barrington et al., 2020). Research shows that African American communities are more affected than other population groups, with low-income urban communities becoming the most affected; “…highest in African American people (49.6%) compared with other racial groups…” (Lofton et al., 2023, pg.307). Similarly, Barrington et al. (2020) affirms that the rate is higher among African Americans compared to the general American populations. Barrington et al. (2020) cites numerous reasons as the lead causes of the significant differences in obesity rates among African Americans including socioeconomic position as the leading factor. Generally, obesity has several impacts on individual lifestyle, including causing other serious health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and asthma, among others, with these conditions having higher prevalence among African Americans (Barrington et al., 2020). Thus, this calls for various interventional measures that could effectively help in reducing the cases and impacts of obesity in the American society.
As the prevalence of obesity among African Americans increases in the United States, the incidences are even higher in New Orleans. Sheats et al. (2018), in studying the prevalence of obesity rates in New Orleans, affirms that most of the African Americans residing in New Orleans, Louisiana, show higher enrolment in smartphone intervention measures for obesity. This implies that the African American groups remain the most affected groups, which call for intervention measures in this region. Therefore, these findings underscore a pressing need for targeted and accessible intervention strategies tailored to address the unique challenges faced by this New Orleans Black community.
Literature Review
Prevalence of Obesity among African Americans in New Orleans
Brown-Mayfield (2021) also affirms that African Americans living in New Orleans show high proportionalities of obesity. He also points out that the African American women living in this place are the most affected group, with most of them showing high obesity rates. Furthermore, the study also affirms that the most affected group are women above the age of 18 years (Brown-Mayfield, 2021). This implies that the endangered groups are young women in their young adult life which implies that interventional measures are succinctly required to address the situation.
Causes of Obesity among African Americans in New Orleans
Sheats et al. (2018) affirms that the major causes of the high obesity rates among the African Americans in New Orleans include eating poorer diet quality, cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic status. In addition, they also affirm that some environmental factors might in some way influence obesity among this group. Generally, eating of poorer diet quality, especially chunky, high sugar or fatty foods often leads to individual’s becoming obese. This is more prevalent among individuals eating such foods and not participating in physical exercises. On their part, Smether and Rolls (2018) assert that the surge in obesity rates in recent years has been driven by eating habits and food choices that are associated with excessive energy intake. They therefore point towards dietary strategies, which involve lowering energy density and intake, as the most effective approach towards weight management and prevention of obesity. Thus, it is imperative that interventional measures are developed to intervene through reducing the chances of individuals becoming obese as a result of nutritional factors.
Health Impacts of Obesity
The serious nature of the health issue emanates from, among other factors, the fact that it is a well-known risk factor for a host of chronic illnesses including cancers, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (Kayode, 2021). Such health conditions often put individuals at a great risk of gaining serious health defects at a later age. For instance, in the case of type 2 diabetes, individuals might be dependent on medication for the rest of their lives, which points out the seriousness of obesity as a health condition. Sheats et al. (2018) also backs up the presence of these health impacts as a result of obesity among individuals in New Orleans, Louisiana. The presence of these health conditions as a result of obesity calls for immediate measures and strategies that can help in reducing prevalence of obesity and ensuring that the health condition is reduced or eliminated in the society.
Current Interventional Strategies
Reducing the spread of obesity among children and teenagers represents one of the major challenges that clinicians face today. Sheats et al. (2018) in their study affirmed that most of the New Orleans individuals sought smartphone-based interventions in their focus fight against obesity. This includes suggestions through their smartphones on how they could tackle the health state. However, most of them lacked the basic education on nutritional education and its importance in fighting obesity. This points out the gap on educational sensitizations on nutritional importance in combating obesity prevalence. In their review, Fornari et al. (2021) focus on analyzing the nutritional interventions that can be successfully implemented with the goal of preventing childhood obesity. Their review finds that successful prevention of obesity among children requires the implementation of a multidimensional approach, which would include integrated programs incorporating nutritional and physical exercise components at different levels.
Summary
As depicted by the above studies, it is evident that obesity is prevalent among African Americans in New Orleans as a result of several factors, including unhealthy eating habits, socioeconomic status, environmental factors, and even cultural backgrounds. Obesity results in several health conditions, which call for interventional measures to deal with its prevalence. Therefore, the research will purposely focus on the utilization of nutritional intervention programs to combat obesity through organizing educational programs, workshops, and sensitization campaigns in New Orleans that target African Americans.
Methods
Target Participant Group
The target participants for this study are African American adolescents, with an age range spanning from 12 to 18 years. The research will primarily be conducted in The Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana, an area majorly occupied by African Americans. This demographic has been specifically chosen due to the pressing need to address the elevated rates of obesity within this community among adolescents within the community. The study aims to involve a total of 50 participants (N=50) in order to ensure a sufficiently diverse and representative sample of the target group. The sample will be selected through advertisements on research participation (see appendix A). The advertisement will be facilitated through fliers with specific information concerning the research, where, when and how it will take place. After enough participants have responded (grossly over 300), the first 50 participants (20 male, 20 female and 10 unspecified gender) who fit the research demands i.e., age factor and health condition factor will be selected as the final research participants. This sample size has been selected to provide a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of obesity by African American adolescents.
Variables
The independent variable is the “Nutritional Intervention Program,” which is the intervention being implemented to address obesity among African American adolescents in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The dependent variable is the “Obesity Prevalence” among African American adolescents in The Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The independent variable “Nutritional Intervention Program” will be implemented to reduce prevalence of the dependent variable “obesity prevalence.” The constant variables are African American teens showing signs or suffering from obesity as a health condition.
Instruments
The study will utilize surveys, pre and posttest questionnaires to as the main instruments. These instruments will be utilized to measure the effectiveness of the nutritional intervention program in increasing knowledge and awareness about nutrition and obesity among African American adolescents in The Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
Surveys for initial recruitment
The surveys will be meant for the initial recruitment purposes. The recruitment surveys will consist of two sections. The first section will advertise the research opportunity and call for their interest to participate in the research. It will mention the research purpose and its importance. Interested persons will be required to fill section 2 of the flyer (see appendix A). The second section will focus on collecting demographic information about potential participants. It will include questions related to age, gender, educational background, and residence for the vetting of final participants who best fit the research. The section will also mention that successful participants will be notified.
Pre-test questionnaires
The section will contain two sections. The first section will require the participant to provide demographic information such as age, gender, and educational background (NOTE: This information had been provided in the recruitment process and it is provided for qualitative purposes and verify participants’ reliability). Participants whose information will differ from the initial recruitment form (appendix A) will be cancelled. The second section will focus on knowledge assessment. This will provide a general context of the participant’s knowledge about nutrition, obesity, and related health topics. The questions aim to assess participants’ knowledge of key concepts, such as healthy eating, the impact of obesity on health, and recommended daily nutritional intake. Here, Likert scale with answer choices ranging from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree” will be utilized (see appendix B).
Posttest questionnaire
The posttest mirrors Section Two of the pretest and is designed to measure changes in knowledge following the nutritional intervention. This test will be utilized at the end of the survey, and it will ask questions that will indicate knowledge difference. The section will mirror section two of the posttest, and it will focus on questions aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention in improving the participants’ understanding of nutrition and obesity-related topics. Likert scale format for responses will be utilized to allow direct comparison between pre- and post-intervention knowledge levels. See Appendix C.
Procedures
The study will start with distribution of the recruitment survey fliers. The fliers will be distributed among African-American adolescents in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. This will be through the present social gatherings, churches or schools. This implies that agents will be sent to these places to distribute the survey fliers and collect them after the potential participants have filled their details. The participants who will consider participating in the research will be required to fill the survey form and give it back to the respective area agents collecting the information. Delayed forms will be required to be scanned and emailed to the provided email address in the survey form.
After the survey has been conducted, the feedback from the potential participants will be vetted to get the preferable number of participants. This group will be issued with a consent form which will further prompt their participation in the research. The consent form will include the privacy terms and conditions and inform them that their information will be secure and their privacy will be a priority in the research. See appendix D.
The actual study will be conducted utilizing two main study instruments: pretest and posttest questionnaires. The pretest questionnaires will be distributed during the beginning of the study. This implies that the dates will be fixed after all the specific participants have been identified. After the educational period, a post-test will be administered on day six. The post-test will measure the change in the level of knowledge and determine if the participants agree with the mentioned procedures. This information will be stored for later analysis that will take place after the research has been concluded.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the study will be a vital resource in the community. This is because of its resourcefulness in helping individuals with knowledge on interventional measures to deal with obesity cases. The study aims at nutritional education as the main interventional measures. Therefore, the research seeks to illuminate a path towards a healthier and more informed future. The prevalence of obesity in The Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans has exposed deep-rooted health disparities and necessitated a tailored intervention. Through the implementation of school-based nutrition education and increased physical activity initiatives, we have endeavored to address this pressing issue and foster a positive change in the lives of our participants.
References
Barrington, D. S., James, S. A., & Williams, D. R. (2020). Socioeconomic Correlates of Obesity in African-American and Caribbean-Black Men and Women. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-020-00798-4
Brown-Mayfield, K. (2021). Exploring Ethnic and New Orleans Cultural Influences on Health Behaviors of African American Women. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/9927/
Fornari, E., Brusati, M., & Maffeis, C. (2021). Nutritional Strategies for Childhood Obesity Prevention. Life, 11(6), 532. https://doi.org/10.3390/life11060532
Hossain, F. M., Danos, D. M., Fu, Q., Wang, X., Scribner, R. A., Chu, S. T., Horswell, R. L., Price-Haywood, E. G., Collins-Burow, B. M., Wu, X.-C., Ochoa, A. C., & Miele, L. (2022). Association of Obesity and Diabetes With the Incidence of Breast Cancer in Louisiana. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 63(1, Supplement 1), S83–S92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2022.02.017
Lofton, H., Ard, J. D., Hunt, R. R., & Knight, M. G. (2023). Obesity among African American people in the United States: A review. Obesity, 31(2), 306–315. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23640
Sanyaolu, A., Okorie, C., Qi, X., Locke, J., & Rehman, S. (2019). Childhood and Adolescent Obesity in the United States: a Public Health Concern. Global Pediatric Health, 6(6). https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794×19891305
Sheats, J. L., Petrin, C., Darensbourg, R. M., & Wheeler, C. S. (2018). A Theoretically-Grounded Investigation of Perceptions About Healthy Eating and mHealth Support Among African American Men and Women in New Orleans, Louisiana. Family & Community Health, 41, S15–S24. https://doi.org/10.1097/fch.0000000000000177
Smethers, A. D., & Rolls, B. J. (2018). Dietary Management of Obesity. Medical Clinics of North America, 102(1), 107–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcna.2017.08.009
Tiwari, A., & Balasundaram, P. (2023). Public Health Considerations Regarding Obesity. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572122/
Appendix A
Promotional Flyer
Part 1: Research Opportunity
Are you an African American adolescent (ages 12-18) in The Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans? Join us in a research study that tackles obesity and promotes better health in your community.
Part 2: Demographic Info
We need your insight to tailor the research to your needs. Please provide your age, gender, educational background, and neighborhood in The Lower Ninth Ward:
- Age: _______
- Gender: [ ] Male [ ] Female [ ] Other: __________
- Education: [ ] Middle School [ ] High School [ ] Other: __________
- Neighborhood: _______________
Selected participants will be notified. Your voice matters in creating a healthier future!
Appendix B
Pretest Questionnaire
Section 1: Demographic Information (For Qualitative Purposes and Verification)
- Age: ________
- Gender: [ ] Male [ ] Female [ ] Other (please specify) __________
- Educational Background: [ ] Middle School [ ] High School [ ] Other (please specify) __________
Section 2: Knowledge Assessment
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements by selecting the most appropriate option. (Please circle one option per statement)
- Healthy eating is important for overall well-being.
- Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree
- Obesity can lead to various health problems.
- Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree
- It is essential to balance your daily nutritional intake.
- Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree
- Regular physical activity is crucial for a healthy lifestyle.
- Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree
- Nutritional knowledge can impact your health choices.
- Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree
Your input is invaluable in helping us tailor the intervention program to your needs and evaluate its effectiveness. Thank you for your participation.
Appendix C
Posttest Questionnaire
Section 1: Knowledge Assessment (Post-Intervention)
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements by selecting the most appropriate option. (Please circle one option per statement)
- Healthy eating is important for overall well-being.
- Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree
- Obesity can lead to various health problems.
- Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree
- It is essential to balance your daily nutritional intake.
- Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree
- Regular physical activity is crucial for a healthy lifestyle.
- Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree
- Nutritional knowledge can impact your health choices.
- Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree
NB: the appendices of section A
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