African Americans Not Likely to Undergo Bariatric Surgery Despite Needing It

A new study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology suggests that obese African Americans were less likely to undergo bariatric surgery than their white counterparts even though a higher percentage of them were eligible for the obesity treatment surgery.

The study was conducted by researchers at Medical University of South Carolina who analyzed the bariatric surgery rates during 1999 and 2010.

They found that while 22 percent of African American women and 11 percent of African American men were eligible for the surgery compared to 12 percent white women and 8 percent white men, white men and women were twice as likely as blacks to receive the surgery.

"Bariatric surgery can improve quality of life, decrease the risk of premature death, and lower disability and health-care costs. Consequently, this health disparity in treatment has implications for health care costs and morbidity due to common diseases like diabetes and hypertension, conditions that are highly prevalent in the African American community", lead researcher Arch G. Mainous III said.



Source: Medindia