Self-reported weight loss practices among African American and Hispanic adults in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To describe weight loss methods used and interactions with health care professionals on the issue of weight among African Americans and Hispanics. METHODS: Five hundred thirty-seven African American and 526 Hispanic adults who self-described as being overweight participated in a telephone interview. RESULTS: Exercise and healthy eating were the 2 most commonly used weight loss methods among both groups; prescription medications were the least-utilized weight loss aid. Forty-one percent of African Americans and 35% of Hispanics reported having been advised to lose weight by a health care professional. CONCLUSIONS: Do-it-yourself approaches to weight loss predominate among African Americans and Hispanics; formal assistance is rarely used. Physician advice on weight loss is suboptimal.

Tobacco cessation and weight loss: trends in media coverage.

OBJECTIVE: To examine time trends in amount of media coverage on tobacco cessation versus weight loss and test whether the 2 topics compete for limited media attention. METHODS: Monthly print and broadcast media coverage from 1995 to 2003 was estimated. RESULTS: Tobacco and weight coverage were uncorrelated. Tobacco coverage peaked in 1997-98, whereas coverage of weight increased linearly between 1995 and 2003. CONCLUSION: Tobacco and weight topics do not appear to compete for media coverage. Interest in weight topics is rising, consistent with its growing public health importance. Coverage of tobacco is declining, suggesting a need to keep tobacco and cessation in the public eye.

Consumers appropriately self-treat based on labeling for over-the-counter hydrocortisone.

BACKGROUND: Over-the-counter (OTC) topical corticosteroids, such as hydrocortisone cream (HC), are commonly used for the treatment of minor dermatological conditions. The safety and efficacy of such products are well documented, but details on patterns of use and self-treatment with HC in the OTC environment remain scarce. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine compliance with label directions of OTC HCs by examining self-reported patterns of OTC HC use in adults and children. METHODS: A random digit-dialed telephone survey was conducted with 2000 US adults. Following identification of users of OTC HC in the last 6 months, respondents were asked questions about the conditions being treated with OTC HC and the frequency and duration of use in both adults and children. RESULTS: Of adults completing the survey, 20% (n = 396) had used OTC HC. In 83% of cases, the conditions treated were consistent with the OTC label. Use was limited; HC was applied < or =4 times daily in 98% of adult users and lasted < or =7 days in 92%. Patterns of pediatric use were similar and almost always consistent with the labeling. Of households with children, 25% (n = 168) had used OTC HC to treat pediatric dermatological conditions. Of child users, 93% were 2 years of age or older, treatment was limited (97% applied HC < or =4 times daily and 94% of treatments lasted < or =7 days), and the conditions treated were appropriate in 86% of cases. LIMITATIONS: This telephone survey relied on respondents' recall and self-reporting. Our data on pediatric use of OTC HC are skewed toward treatment of younger children. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that OTC HC products are used for self-treatment in a limited and appropriate fashion that is likely to be safe in both adults and children.

Use of dietary supplements for weight loss in the United States: results of a national survey.

We examined dietary supplement use for weight loss and perceptions about safety, efficacy, and regulatory oversight of these products. A random digit-dialed telephone survey was conducted in 2005-2006, with a representative sample of 3,500 US adults. The survey assessed the beliefs and practices related to weight control. Outcome measures included the prevalence of dietary supplement use for weight reduction, demographic profile of supplement users, and knowledge about safety, efficacy, and regulation of dietary supplements. Of the adults who made a serious weight-loss attempt (n = 1,444), 33.9% reported ever using a dietary supplement for weight loss. Supplement use was more common among women (44.9%) vs. men (19.8%); those aged 25-34; African Americans (48.7%) or Hispanics (41.6%) vs. whites (31.2%); less educated (38.4% high school degree or less vs. 31.1% some college or more); lower income households (41.8% made <$40K vs. 30.3% made > or =$40K); obese (40.7%) vs. overweight (29.1%); those who made more lifetime weight-loss attempts (42.0% made > or =3 vs. 22.1% made <3); and those who used more weight-loss methods (48.2% used > or =4 vs. 25.2% used <4). Many users and non-users of dietary supplements had misperceptions about these products-many believed they are evaluated for safety and efficacy by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before marketing, and that dietary supplements are safer than over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medications. Use of dietary supplements for weight loss is common. More information about dietary supplements is necessary to correct misperceptions and encourage the use of safe and effective weight-loss methods.

Self-reported comorbidities among self-described overweight African-American and Hispanic adults in the United States: results of a national survey.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the concordance between self-described weight status and BMI, the prevalence of self-reported comorbidities, and the association between comorbidities and self-rated health among overweight African-American and Hispanic US adults. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A nationally representative sample of 537 African-American and 526 Hispanic adults who were identified using a combination of random digit dialing and listed household sampling and self-described as being slightly or very overweight participated in a telephone interview. Self-reported height and weight were used to calculate BMI. RESULTS: More than half of African Americans (56%) and one-third of Hispanics (34%) who self-described as "slightly" overweight would be classified as obese based on BMI. One-third (33%) of African Americans reported high blood pressure, followed by arthritis (20%), high cholesterol (18%), and diabetes (15%). Among Hispanics, high cholesterol was the most frequently reported comorbidity (17%), followed by high blood pressure (15%), and difficulty sleeping (12%). Almost three-quarters of African Americans surveyed (72%) reported that their overall health was good to excellent compared to 62% for Hispanics. DISCUSSION: Self-reported rates of obesity-related comorbidities fall below what would be expected based on prevalence data derived from physiologic measures, suggesting a lack of awareness of actual risk. Despite the greater self-reported prevalence of certain risk factors for poor health, African Americans have a more optimistic view of their overall health and weight status compared to Hispanics. Physicians have an important opportunity to communicate to their minority patients the serious health consequences associated with excess weight.

Weight loss expectations and goals in a population sample of overweight and obese US adults.

The purpose of this study was to investigate weight loss expectations and goals in a population sample of US adults who planned to make a weight loss attempt, and to examine predictors of those expectations and goals. Participants were 658 overweight and obese adults (55% women, mean age = 47.9 years, BMI = 31.8 kg/m(2)) who responded to a telephone survey about weight loss. Respondents reported weight loss expectations (i.e., reductions they realistically expected) and goals (i.e., reductions they ideally desired) for an upcoming "serious and deliberate" weight loss attempt. They also reported the expectations they had, and the reductions they actually achieved, in a previous attempt. Respondents' weight loss expectations for their upcoming attempt (8.0% reduction in initial weight) were significantly more modest than their goals for that attempt (16.8%), and smaller than the losses that they expected (12.0%), and achieved (8.9%) in their most recent past attempt (Ps

Smokers' interest in using nicotine replacement to aid smoking reduction.

In recent years the public health community has considered the risks and benefits of encouraging smokers to reduce their smoking, perhaps with the aid of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Little is known, however, about whether smokers themselves are interested in smoking reduction; whether they see reduction as an endpoint, or primarily as a route to cessation; or whether they are receptive to the notion of using NRT to achieve reduction. We conducted a population-based national telephone survey of 1,000 current daily cigarette smokers (499 male, 501 female). Most smokers (57%) reported previously trying to reduce their smoking, and many (26%) said that they plan to reduce within the next year. Almost half of those planning to quit in the next 12 months (44%) preferred to quit via gradual cessation and most (68%) indicated that they would consider using a reduction product or medication. Respondents reported that they would prefer a product with a cessation endpoint rather than a reduction endpoint (63% vs. 21%). Interest in reduction was highest among smokers who were less interested in quitting and among heavier smokers. We conclude that many smokers are interested in gradually reducing prior to quitting and that promoting reduction is unlikely to undermine motivation to quit smoking.