OK, what is it? Diet/obesity? Poverty? Taller sisters not as fertile? Between the lines there--taller people often, not always, have better nutrition as well as genes on their side, are better off economically, and the studies show that wealthier black females have closed or exceeded height gaps with white females...and "wealthier" people tend to put off having kids.
Read it here and comment.
Read it here and comment.
8 comments:
People flinch at this or question the figures, but the basis is pretty sound. I saw your post on this on Facebook:
Pediatric growth experts offer one possible explanation. High caloric intake from an unhealthy diet fuels an early growth spurt among black children, plus it speeds the onset of puberty, especially for black girls, who now begin menstruating 8 1/2 months ahead of white girls. This early onset of puberty reduces the duration of the critical pre-adolescent growth spurt, resulting in a lower adult height.
Interesting study. However, I always wonder how (or if) mixed race people are accounted for in these studies.
What? Mixed race as the ascendant negro? Nichelle study some genetics.
As you said during our interview for The Crisis article I wrote about Black fiction, this is the first time in world history when "poor people are fat." That cheap food is the unhealthiest is a truth most Black folk have known for decades now.
It would be interesting to see how a Whole Foods in the hood would price and sell fresh, organic produce and other foods to marginalized Americans across race lines, particularly in Latino, Native American, and low-income white communities. I'd love to see an initiative like that...
Eisa
i was hoping somehwere that all of this was a result of a better diet across the board. Instead it appears to be a result of a the middle and upper iddle class becoming larger. I'll take it becasue as a community we need it.
Now how do we answer the question of getting all of us to better diets?
Black Woman need to stop consuming high caloric nonnutrious foods, and excercise, excercise, excercise...they act like the Health Club stores kyptonite!
Monique needs to stop encouraging these girls that is okay to be overweight!
lol, well thank god for Dr Ian Smith, and 50 million pound challenge, we as a people need to lose weight, and get healthly!
SoCal 82Tiger:
I find the area of opinions on health and beauty as always a tricky area to discuss. My first thought after reading some of the posts is - Be careful what you all are wishing for...
Can’t you just imagine the future shows of Tyra and the rest of Tragedy TV highlighting "exclusive"
exposé’s raging against the epidemic rise of deadly eating disorders (Anorexia and Bulimia) among all women of color...
Just imagine the possiblities for show by-lines: “Ana”… It's no longer the eating disorder just for obsessively skinny & insecure white females!
Call me crazy but that's not the type of equality I can call good or HEALTHY!
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