The Sunday Oklahoman - Tipping the Scales

In today's Sunday Oklahoman there is an article in the local and state section of the paper that states "Local black churches take weight-loss challenge."

Zora Brown, Integris health's director of cultural affairs, said "she created the challenge to encourage predominantly black churches to combat health disparities in the black community by tackling obesity. She said it is a risk factor for a host of diseases and illnesses that disproportionately plaque blacks."

Health facts:
-Blacks have almost twice the risk of first-ever strokes compared with whites.
-Compared to the general population, blacks are disporportionately affected by diabetes, with one in four black women 55 or older having diabetes.
-Blacks have twice the risk of diabetes as whites. People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or a stroke.
-The prevalence of high blood pressure in blacks in the U.S. is the highest in the world.
-Among blacks 20 and older, 62.9 percent of women are overweight or obese.

This is from the American Stroke Association and the American Diabetes Association

How appropriate is the article to run in the paper after reading Marvalene H. Hughes story on Soul, Black Women, and Food. As the article states, ..."her success symbol is plumpness. A big body to the Black woman represents health and prosperity."
Pam