Weight Control: Cultural Differences Between Asian Americans and Asians Abroad

My topic is about the differences in obesity rates between Asia (specifically East Asia) and Western societies, such as America. This topic is worth investigating, because obesity is becoming a worldwide problem, and it appears to be that Asia is somewhat still better at keeping obesity rates in check than in other places. My research question is: why are obesity rates lower in Asia than in other places (not including third world nations), and what cultural practices are in place which help keep obesity rates in check in East Asia.

In Environmental Contributions to the Obesity Epidemic, the writers are trying to identify the environmental factors of obesity. The findings listed in the article are all used to support the main point of the article, which states that the current obesity epidemic is due to people living in an environment that encourages eating excessively and discourages physical activity. The journal article specifically points out several factors: high-fat diets, the availability of large and cheap quantities of food, and advances in technology which reduce the need for physical activity. This is relevant to my study because this helps show that environmental factors certainly do play a factor in obesity, as opposed to non-environmental factors such as genetics. Furthermore, the environmental factors that are shown in the article link very closely to the differences in environment/culture between East Asia and America (such as the availability of technology, many people in East Asia do not have a personal car). The evidence presented does make a very convincing argument because the factors that the author lists are easily observable in everyday society; no one who has lived in America will argue against the fact that high-fat food is easily available and costs very little.

Exploratory Investigation of Obesity Risk and Prevention in Chinese Americans talks about how obesity is dealt with by the Chinese Americans community. It was a qualitative study and involved interviews with various Chinese Americans; the common themes in interviews were identified, coded, and compared using NVivo software so that the attitudes could be measured in a more scientific manner. Their findings were that Chinese Americans generally thought of obesity to be a phenomenon that does not happen to their demographic, but sixty percent of them did feel that they might one day be susceptible to obesity. They believe that obesity is due to the availability of cheap and readily available fast food, and also an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Furthermore, they say that Chinese food is a healthier alternative to fast food for them. They also say that Chinese culture encourages overeating because a heavy physique is still considered somewhat desirable in Chinese culture.

This article provides very relevant information for my study because I specifically want to look at how culture can affect obesity rates. Chinese Americans are an excellent source of information, because they live in American society, but still are affected by Chinese culture. The findings in this article help me learn more about how culture can affect obesity in more ways than one. For example, Chinese culture can actually encourage obesity, but the Chinese food actually healthier than American fast food and thus does not promote obesity as much. The study did indeed obtain some very significant and important information about the attitudes on obesity in Chinese

Americans, and the evidence is very convincing because the interview results were compiled logically using computer software. The article does leave some questions unanswered; it does not talk about how Chinese culture has explicitly affected the Chinese American interviewee's attitudes on obesity.

Body Image and Weight Control in Young Adults: International Comparisons in University Students From 22 Countries is another research study I encountered. This research was undertaken to find the associations between body mass index, body perceptions, and weight loss attempts of male and female university students in twenty-two countries. The research was taken by taking data, using standardized methods. The findings are that people who are overweight, regardless of country, realize that they are overweight for the most part. However, women felt more overweight than men on average, and a higher proportion of them do try to lose weight. In the Asian countries surveyed, both male and female students surveyed show that they are trying to lose weight more so than other places in the world. Furthermore, perceptions of people being overweight was also higher in Asian countries, but body mass indexes were the lowest in Asian countries as well.

This study is very important to my research question, because it proves there are differences in behavior that distinguishes Asia from other parts of the world in terms of obesity perception, and treatment. According to the study, Asian university students weighted less, but tried to lose weight more at higher levels. This shows plain proof that there is something that, while the study does not identify, exists within Asian countries that helps keep the collective weight at a lower level than other countries. The study is successful in its objective of finding out about worldwide University students' attitudes about obesity and weight loss, and the findings can be perceived as accurate because the findings were collected in a standardized manner. The article now leaves open the new question of what exactly is it that makes Asian university students more apt to describe lower body mass indexes to be obese, and more eager to lose weight.

Change in Diet and Body Mass Index in Taiwanese Women with Length of Residence in Australia is a paper I encountered. This research was undertaken to see whether or not there were differences in caloric intake and anthropomorphic measurements between Taiwanese women in Taiwan, and Taiwanese women who resided in Australia. A cross-sectional study was undertaken for this research. They found out that while there was not much of a difference in body mass index and total body fat percentage, there was a slight difference in waist to hip circumference. Women in Australia had a higher waist circumference. The evidence presented in the study is convincing to me, because I have also seen that women in Asia are thinner than their Western counterparts. This study does raise the new question of: exactly why is there a slight physical difference between these two groups of women? Is it the attitudes in Western society, the lifestyles, or something else?

This article is significant to my study, because it shows that it is possible that there is also a difference between Westernized Taiwanese, and native Taiwanese. This helps me note the differences and similarities in body size between people of the same genetic background who live in different areas. This study helps with my research information-gathering, because it does support the fact that there is at least a slight effect that living in Western society has on obesity, even with the genetic factor added in.

The last research paper I encountered was Revisions of Cutoffs of Body Mass Index to Define Overweight and Obesity are Needed for the Asian-Ethnic Groups. This research was undertaken to see whether or not there would be a difference among the health and weight correlation in different ethnic groups. There is a current universal standard for body mass indexes, which define a person to be "obese" when they reach a certain BMI. This research was conducted by collecting health and body mass index data within Asia. The research showed that even within standardized "normal" body mass indexes, there were still obesity-related symptoms present (such as hypertension). A new question that is raised by the study is: do body mass index standards need to be changed within different ethnic groups?

This study is needed for my research, because I establish all my studies on body mass index, and define obesity with using the body mass index standard. Here, the study argues that the body mass index standard for obesity is not even an accurate standard to measure obesity within Asian populations. Therefore, this changes my previous research plan, because I was going to base all data on body mass index-established standards, which would have then skewed the research results. This awareness from doing research is needed to my study so that I can take into account that body mass index is not the most accurate standard for studying obesity rates within populations.