It has been established for quite some time now that black men and women are less likely to live longer and receive the same level of medical treatment for health issues. Poverty and geography certainly have a role in this and these statistics are spreading into newer types of health care options, including weight loss surgery.
But interestingly, financial concerns don't seem to be a factor in this particular aspect of health care.
This month's issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine reported on a study headed by Dr. Christina Wee, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The study found that white people were twice as likely to opt for weight loss surgery as blacks.
In Wee's interview of nearly 350 people, blacks reported that their doctors did not approach them often about weight loss surgery, nor were the patients themselves as likely to bring up the topic.
Financial, educational or lifestyle issues were not the problem. Rather it seems that whites feel more social pressure to lose weight, their doctors bring up the topic more, and general lifestyle issues were more important to whites than blacks.
For example, whites felt that being very overweight affected their sex lives, their work performance and their general well-being more than black people did. Black people did not feel that obesity affected their lives and lifestyles as much as whites.
The study showed that weight loss surgery was suggested to women more than men, and that women were more likely to go ahead with the procedure.
Wee said that "quality of life is clearly a very important motivator to patients with obesity. And what this study shows is that those quality-of-life differences across race are so important that they may actually drive decision-making in a way that creates racial differences in how people think about undergoing treatment."
She added, "It speaks to the importance of thinking about the whole patient, factoring in personal values and facilitating individualized decision-making."
Weight loss surgery can be expensive, but so can living with obesity. In an EmpowHER article by Pat Elliot called Obesity Costs: Women Are Paying the Most she discusses a study done by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services’ Department of Health Policy in Washington, D.C.
The study found that "the individual cost of being obese is $4,879 and $2,646 for women and men respectively. Adding the value of lost life to these annual costs produces even more dramatic results: $8,365 and $6,518 annually for women and men, respectively."
Reasons for this include higher costs for women in terms of getting disability, leave from work, and lost wages. To be an obese man in America costs six times more than someone who does not have a weight problem. To be an obese woman costs nine times more.
For overall wellbeing, it's well worth watching what we eat, including our portions. Exercise is not the major factor in losing weight -- our diet is. But exercise is also a good way to help shed pounds, strengthen our bodies, feel better both mentally and physically, and to benefit financially.
We are all susceptible to bad choices, financial difficulties and environmental/ geographical challenges. Keeping our bodies and minds in good shape is crucial, for men and women alike, and for people of all races. Being healthy can be make a significant difference when facing other factors in life that can take a toll.
Sources:
Medline Plus. Whites More Likely to Undergo Weight-Loss Surgery: Study. Web. Retrieved Feb 1st, 2014.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_143930.html
EmpowHER.com. Obesity. Obesity Costs: Women are Paying the Most. Web. Retrieved Feb 1st, 2014.
https://www.empowher.com/obesity/content/obesity-costs-women-are-paying-...
Reviewed February 5, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith