Substantial scientific research over the past few decades indicates that diet plays an important role in the prevention of diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, and cancer, which remain leading causes of death and disability in the United States. (1) Fast facts:  U.S. adults take nonprescription vitamin and mineral supplements. (2)  High nutritional intake of calcium is a possible protective factor in hypertension. (3)  Obesity is a major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. The NHANES surveys found that being overweight is increasingly common in the United States, in adolescents and adults. (4, 5)  In the NHANES III survey, 50% of African American men and 67% of African American women reported that they participated in little or no leisure time physical activity. (6) Cholesterol Overall, men have an average intake of cholesterol that is higher than the average intake of cholesterol for women. Of all men and women in the U.S., Mexican Americans take in a larger amount of cholesterol than do non-Hispanic whites or African Americans. (7) Physical Activity Overall, more Hispanics and African Americans report little or no leisure time activity than do Whites. Approximately 57.4% of the Hispanic women surveyed reported little or no physical activity compared with 55.2% African Americans, 45.5% Asians, 19.6% American Indians, and 36.2% non-Hispanic whites. (7) Back to Top Fat Intake According to the American Heart Association, males have a higher daily fat intake than females, for all racial/ethnic groups. White males average a daily intake of 99g of fat, compared with 94.6g for African Americans males and 88g for Hispanic males.(7) African American females have the highest fat intakes (71.2g) followed by white (67.4g) and Hispanic (66.5g) females. (7) Refugee Health Fact Micronutrient deficiencies occur frequently in refugee and displaced populations who are dependent on international emergency food. Deficiency-related diseases include (in addition to the most common Fe and vitamin A deficiencies): scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), pellagra (niacin and/or tryptophan deficiency), and beriberi (thiamin deficiency), which are not seen frequently in non-emergency-affected populations.  The preferred way of preventing these micronutrient deficiencies is securing dietary diversification through the provision of vegetables, fruits and pulses.  Often, however, this is not a feasible strategy, especially in the initial phase of a relief operation. For further discussion on the problems associated with these deficiencies, see Weise and de Benoist (2002). (8)  Vitamin and Mineral Supplements More than one-third of all U.S. adults take nonprescription vitamin and mineral supplements.  Of persons aged 65 and older, about 40% of whites and Hispanics take vitamin and mineral supplements compared with about 14% of African Americans. (2) The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicated that African Americans have a lower intake of calcium than whites.  High nutritional intake of calcium is a possible protective factor in hypertension. (3) Back to Top Overweight Population in the U.S.   We're growing... Below is a look at how the rate of overweight people in the United States has increased from 1992 to 2002.  The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey conducted by the CDC calculated the number of people with body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 kg/m2 or greater.  People with a BMI of 25 or greater are classified as overweight, while people with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or greater are classified as obese.  The pictures below show the states with percentages of the population that have less than 50%, 50%-55%, or more than 55% overweight.  As you can see, there is a drastic increase in overweight people in the short time frame.(9) Trends in Overweight (BMI <25 kg/m2) Prevalence (%), Adults 18 and Older, US, 1992-2002    1992 1995 1998 2002 Back to Top References 1. Buchowski MS, Sun M. Nutrition in minority elders: current problems and future directions. J Health Care Poor Underserved 1996;7(3):184-209. 2. Roe DA. Effects of drugs on vitamin needs. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1992;669:156-63; discussion 63-4. 3. Piane G. A comparison of the effect of a hypertension education program among black and white participants. J Health Care Poor Underserved 1990;1(2):243-53. 4. Troiano RP, Flegal KM, Kuczmarski RJ, Campbell SM, Johnson CL. Overweight prevalence and trends for children and adolescents. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1963 to 1991. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1995;149(10):1085-91. 5. Kuczmarski RJ, Flegal KM, Campbell SM, Johnson CL. Increasing prevalence of overweight among US adults. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1960 to 1991. Jama 1994;272(3):205-11. 6. Crespo CJ, Keteyian SJ, Heath GW, Sempos CT. Leisure-time physical activity among US adults. Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Arch Intern Med 1996;156(1):93-8. 7. Amercian Heart Association (AHA). Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2004 Update. Dallas, Texas: AHA, 2004.  americanheart.org. 8. Weise Prinzo Z, de Benoist B. Meeting the challenges of micronutrient deficiencies in emergency-affected populations. Proc Nutr Soc 2002;61(2):251-7. 9. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, CD-ROM (1984-1995, 1998) and Public Use Data Tape (2002), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1997, 2000, 2003   This research was supported by a National Library of Medicine (NLM) Publication Grant #5G08 LM07653-02 in support of the creation of a web site titled Factline: Tracking Health in Underserved Communities, www.factline.org. Saqi S. Maleque, MSPH, Researcher, Principal Investigator: Virginia Brennan, PhD.