The Problem Of Obesity Among Minority Groups

Needs Assessment As with any different health problem, there are disparities among different races and ethnicities. While in many cases, a disease will not distinguish between races, the causes of the disease or access to medical care will. Throughout this assessment, the paper will look at the problem of obesity among minority groups and how there is a need for increasing physical activity and providing healthier food options. Within this, the major focus will be on the Hispanic and African-American populations. Finally, there will be a model assessment and how theoretical framework within the plan effects those of the minority population.
Background
Currently as is stands with all the races in the United States, approximately one-third of the population is considered to be obese (Ogden, Carroll & Flegal, 2014). If someone wanted to further examine the amount of obese individuals by race, it would show that majority of the minority groups that are effected by obesity, are those of the Hispanic and African-American Community (Ogden, Carroll & Flegal, 2014). According to a study done in 2009, 38.7 percent of the African-American population, 29.2 percent of the Hispanic population and 26.1 percent of the white population were obese (Madan et al., 2012). This goes to show that while in some areas, individuals of a White race may seem more obese than other races, when taken into account nationally, there is a major problem with minority races and obesity.
Furthermore, when