Obesity is a major public health problem in the United States. Being overweight and obesity are known risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, and some forms of cancer. In addition, obesity is associated with high blood cholesterol, pregnancy complications, menstrual irregularities and psychological disorders such as depression. In the past 40 years, the number of Americans classified as obese has doubled. Recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that more than 60% (64.5 million) of adult women are overweight, and of those, about half are considered obese.
The most commonly used method to determine if someone is overweight or obese is to calculate Body Mass Index or BMI. BMI is not a direct measure of body fat, but is more accurate than relying on weight alone. To determine your BMI you need to know your weight in pounds and your height in inches [BMI = (lbs X 704.5) Õ inches Õ inches]. You can also use the BMI calculator available at the National Institutes of Health Web site (www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/). Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 to 29.9 and obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or greater.
Increasing rates of overweight and obesity are seen in all segments of the U.S. population and lesbians are not immune to this problem. In the CHLEW study, more than 50% of the participants had a BMI above the recommended level for optimal health (less than 25) and more than one-half of those women had a BMI of 30 or greater—which would classify them as obese.
Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight is a matter of energy balance. If the number of calories consumed from food is greater than the number of calories burned through physical activity, weight gain will occur. Research indicates that the proper nutrition in combination with appropriate levels of physical activity is the best method to achieve a desired body weight. Some simple tips include: make healthy beverage choices, eat at least three meals a day, eat a variety of foods, eat proper portion sizes, stock your house with healthful food choices, limit restaurant eating to one time per week, decrease sedentary time, incorporate physical activity into daily routines, and be physically active with family members or friends. Finally, set short-term realistic goals.
These results from the first round of CHLEW interviews provide a brief glimpse into the health and well being of lesbians in Chicago. The information we gather in the second wave of interviews should provide even more insight into factors that influence lesbians’ health.
The success of the CHLEW will depend largely on our ability to locate and re-interview women who participated in our first round of interviews in 2000-2001. We have lost contact with about 35 of the 450 women who were interviewed in the first phase of the study. If you or anyone you know participated in the first phase of the study please call our toll-free number 1-866-933-3459 or contact us via e-mail at chlewstudy@yahoo.com.
No one can replace the original participants (we cannot add lesbians to the study who did not participate in 2000-’01), so it is important that we locate each of the missing participants. We very much appreciate your help and look forward to bringing you more interesting and useful information about important health issues in our community.