Minority Health Month Cafecito

Directions

Obesity is a chronic disease caused by a combination of genetic, biological, and environmental factors and compounded by inequitable access to proper care. The disease, diagnosed as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, raises risk factors for many medical conditions including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, joint pain and breathing difficulty just to name a few. Excess weight has a significant impact on our physical, mental, and financial health. That is why it is important to have conversations with your health care providers about your concerns with overweight and obesity, just as you would for other conditions. According to the CDC, approximately 44.8% of Latino adults live with obesity, the second highest when compared to other ethnic or racial minority groups. Among Hispanic American women, 78.8% are overweight or obesity.

There are many factors that contribute to these rates including lack of access to affordable healthy foods, safe places to exercise/play, stable and affordable housing and access to quality healthcare. Social determinants of health and policy barriers to obesity care access exacerbate the deep impact of the disease on our community. Private insurers, Medicare Part D, and some state employee health benefit plans are not required to cover medicines to treat obesity, meaning people with this disease are being systematically denied care.
This Cafecito will open the discussion of the disease obesity to explore the metabolic science, socioeconomic drivers, and policy levers impacting obesity care for the Latino Community.