University Study Finds Link Between Sedentary Work and Obesity for Black Women

washington-univA new study by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. finds that women who sit on the job are more likely to be obese than other women workers.  The authors found no association between occupational sitting and weight status among men.

The research found that the relationship between sitting on the job and obesity was particularly significant for African American women. Black women who spent 31 to 180 minutes sitting at work were 2.43 times as likely to be obese than women who sat for 30 minutes or less on the job. Black women who spent 181 to 360 minutes sitting at work were 2.76 times as likely or be obese, and Black women who spent more than 360 minutes were 2.53 times as likely to be obese.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine differences in the association between occupational sitting and weight status among African American women and White women,” said Dr. Lin Yang, the lead author of the study.

The authors conclude that “reducing the amount of sitting time and interrupting sitting time by active breaks is recommended, even for adults who meet recommended levels of physical activity. In addition, adults with sedentary occupations should aim to maintain a healthy diet to avoid weight gain.”

The study, “Occupational Sitting and Weight Status in a Diverse Sample of Employees in Midwest Metropolitan Cities, 2012–2013,” was published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease. It may be accessed here.

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1 COMMENT

  1. This study is nothing more than a continuation of Historically White Colleges and Universities (HWCUs) of using the Black community as its research petri dish to solidify their implicit and explicit eugenics mentality. This pseudo-research is literally saying that Black women are lazy and thereby its far easier for them to perpetuate this propaganda as fact. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the research shows that approximately 63 percent of Americans are obese. According to Census(2010) Whites comprise of approximately 71 percent of the overall population which means that 44 percent of Whites are obese.

    More important, I wholeheartedly question Dr. Lin Yang findings along with her cultural biases as a Asian women along with her epistemological lens regarding Black women.

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