Menopause, Rurality and Obesity in Rural African American Women

Doctoral Thesis / Dissertation from the year 2014 in the subject Health - Nursing Science - Miscellaneous, Florida International University, Modesto A. Maidique Campus (Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences), course: Nursing & Research, language: English, abstract: In light of the present-day obesity crisis, this study describes the impact of demographic, cognitive, behavioral, and biological factors on health outcomes in pre-menopausal and menopausal African American women living in rural South Carolina. The data suggests that obesity and related chronic diseases can be, in fact, curbed by a better-informed public, a shift in body-awareness and a deeper understanding of the sociocultural heritage and our relationship to food in general. As a groundbreaking study within this high-risk population, it also puts in perspective to what extent these factors are driven by the socioeconomic status of the women. The findings from this research place renewed urgency on interactive strategies in education and the healthcare field in order to better equip African American women in rural areas with the tools to confront obesity and related chronic diseases.