a Barbara Solomon School of Social Work , Walden University , Minneapolis , Minnesota , USA.
b College of Education and Human Development, School of Kinesiology , University of Minnesota System , Minneapolis , Minnesota , USA.
Soc Work Public Health. 2019;34(2):158-175. doi: 10.1080/19371918.2019.1575309. Epub 2019 Feb 15.
This study explores the social work profession's empirical contribution to addressing factors influencing overweight and obesity outcomes among racial-ethnic minority populations in the United States. The high prevalence of obesity in U.S. adults and children, particularly in racial/ethnic minority populations, continues to be an important public health issue. The African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network (AACORN) Expanded Obesity Research Paradigm was used to assess the studies. Constructs in this paradigm identify conceptual and multilevel influences on obesity offering social work practitioners a comprehensive understanding of obesity-related factors in populations of color: cultural and psychosocial processes, historical and social contexts, and physical and economic environments.
A systematic search of obesity-related, social work studies providing data for U.S. racial/ethnic minority populations was conducted in March through July 2013 with updated searches in February 2016 and July 2017.
Identified studies were mostly cross-sectional, offering only a snapshot of factors associated with obesity among racial-ethnic minority populations. Articles addressing factors contributing to overweight/obesity were more likely to discuss cultural and psychosocial features and provided limited information about health behaviors embedded in the daily lives of racial-ethnic groups affecting obesity.
Given that social workers' interactions with clients occur in a variety of social services settings, they are in a unique position to assist with developing strategies for facilitating obesity prevention integrating conceptual features outlined by the AACORN paradigm. Practice and policy implications are discussed for social work professionals employed in community settings.
本研究探讨了社会工作专业在解决影响美国少数族裔人群超重和肥胖结果的因素方面的经验贡献。美国成年人和儿童，尤其是少数族裔人群中肥胖的高患病率仍然是一个重要的公共卫生问题。美国非裔合作肥胖研究网络（AACORN）扩展肥胖研究范式被用于评估这些研究。该范式中的构建体确定了对肥胖的概念和多层次影响，为社会工作者提供了对有色人种群体中与肥胖相关因素的全面理解：文化和心理社会过程、历史和社会背景以及物理和经济环境。
于 2013 年 3 月至 7 月，对提供美国少数族裔人群数据的与肥胖相关的社会工作研究进行了系统搜索，并于 2016 年 2 月和 2017 年 7 月进行了更新搜索。
确定的研究大多是横断面研究，仅提供了少数族裔人群与肥胖相关因素的快照。讨论导致超重/肥胖因素的文章更有可能讨论文化和心理社会特征，并提供有关影响肥胖的种族群体日常生活中健康行为的有限信息。
鉴于社会工作者与客户的互动发生在各种社会服务环境中，他们处于独特的位置，可以协助制定促进肥胖预防的策略，整合 AACORN 范式概述的概念特征。讨论了在社区环境中工作的社会工作专业人员的实践和政策影响。
