By Dionne Walker
Associated Press

It’s an October afternoon at Norfolk State University in Virginia, and the dining hall on this predominantly black campus has enough tantalizing choices to throw graduate student Tina Carroll into a lunchtime dilemma.

Piled in front of her are carrot discs, green peas and steaming squash chunks. Nearby, breaded chicken patties fan out like meaty playing cards and french fries glisten in fat-laden glory.

Carroll nibbles her fingernails, her eyes darting between each selection. At 187 pounds — well above what’s recommended for her 5-foot-2 frame — the 22-year-old knows decisions she makes here could mean the difference between the bootylicious body of her dreams or a lifetime of weight problems.

Nationwide, health experts agree the obesity epidemic is striking deepest among Hispanics and blacks, with waistlines — and instances of diabetes, hypertension and stroke — expanding at alarming rates.

Black colleges are stepping in, rolling out veggie-heavy menus, building walking trails and even enacting campuswide weight loss contests. Their aim: to curb the ballooning of black America by targeting the next generation.

“Our students are at a prime time in their lives where they can make choices that can prevent them from having these problems,” said Cynthia Burwell, head of Norfolk State’s internship programs and an organizer of the health effort.

Similar weight-loss initiatives have been started at five other historically black colleges: Talladega College in Alabama; Alcorn State University in Mississippi; Lincoln University in Pennsylvania; South Carolina State University; and Wiley College in Texas.

Their programs are supported through federal grants distributed by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education. Later, the umbrella group will turn over data on student weight trends to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health for review.

NAFEO grew concerned last year after noticing national obesity trends having an especially striking impact at the 120 schools it represents.

“Obesity as we all know is an epidemic across the country, particularly affecting minorities,” said NAFEO senior health adviser Julia Anderson. “It’s no secret.”

Estimates deem as many as 129.6 million Americans overweight or obese — the latter defined as weighing at least 20 percent more than recommended for one’s height.

Blacks — and especially women — are carrying many of the pounds: A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found as many as 70.6 percent of black women across various age groups qualified as overweight or obese between 1999 and 2002.

And while few of the participating black colleges keep hard data, Alcorn State human sciences chairman Ross Santell said it’s easy to see the weight problem is alive and well on black campuses.

“Many, many, many students are obese,” said Santell, organizer of his campus’ weight-loss effort, which includes passing out pedometers. “If you look around campus, you can see that clearly our student body is overweight.”

Officials at Wiley estimate nearly 25 percent of their students are overweight, and at Lincoln University, 90 students and staffers have already signed up to shed pounds through their eight-week, campus-wide fitness challenge.

At Norfolk State, campus health experts teach students how to gauge their weight by measuring body mass index and shrinking jean sizes rather than dreaded weigh-ins.

In dining halls, monthly theme nights highlight new types of fruits and vegetables, while “PHAT stations” set up across campus let students assess things such as blood pressure and heart rates.

“All connect going toward the same outcome, which is to improve the fitness of our folks,” said Spartan Health Center medical director John Anderson.

They’re battling more than just the lure of Burger King.

For one, Anderson said they’re up against decades of cultural tradition that emphasizes pig’s feet, chitterlings and other soul food staples doctors say just aren’t healthy.
Combine that with a sense of invincibility and you get students picking fried chicken over veggie burgers, he said.

Being away from the structure of home further complicates things, Michaile Rainey said.

“Once you come to college, you can pretty much pick and choose what type of food and when you want to eat it,” she said. “You can order Domino’s at 2 a.m. because you’re studying. That’s a contributor.”

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