Challenges for Overweight and Obese Urban Women

Overweight and obesity are epidemic in the United States. Obesity is a risk factor for numerous conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease, certain types of cancer, and arthritis (1). More than one fourth of U.S. women are overweight and more than one third are obese. Women living in urban settings, irrespective of demographics or income, are particularly vulnerable to becoming overweight or obese because of limited resources for physical activity and healthy food choices. Therefore, there is a need for clinicians and public health officials to address not only individual behaviors but also environmental issues in their efforts to reduce the epidemic of obesity in this particular group of the population.