“F” as in Fat: African American Childhood Obesity in Tennessee

“F” as in FAT: African American Childhood Obesity in Tennessee

Kishia Nolton

Ashford University

Eng 122

January 8, 2010

Tiffany Young

“F” as in FAT: African American Childhood Obesity in Tennessee

The purpose of this paper is to research childhood obesity among African Americans in Tennessee, describe the affects and causes, discuss past trends concerning African American obesity, and argue the main cause; traditional eating and cooking habits.

Although there are many reasons that researchers claim is the cause of African American obesity in Tennessee, the main reason is the traditional way foods are cooked, what these foods are, the method of preparation, and how much food is consumed in a setting. Within this paper, these points will simply be referred to as traditional eating and cooking habits.

Poverty, access to healthier foods and safe places to exercise, DNA, nor lack of nutritional education are to blame for current obesity rates among black youth in Tennessee. To argue this point we will discuss information presented on annual reports regarding Tennessee’s obesity rates, nationwide data gathered from USDA information, and we will compare findings and opinions from these, as well as, other replicable sources.

Overall, we will attempt to prove that obesity of African American children in Tennessee is only preventable if the mind frame of parents change or if the parents make better choices about what they purchase to eat and how that food is prepared and served.

Quotes and References for Paper

Quote: “First Lady Michelle Obama launched the “Let’s Move” initiative to solve childhood obesity within a generation.”

Citation: http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2010/release.php?stateid=TN Title: New Report: Tennessee Ranks Second Most Obese in the Nation

Citation: http://www.healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2010/

Quote: “…Millions of Americans still face barriers-like the high cost of healthy foods and lack of...