
Race, Gender, and Obesity Rates
Medium
Do obesity rates differ between racial groups of the same age? You measure the height and weight of 200 participants aged 15 to 18. You then split them into four groups by race and gender.
You calculate each person's BMI (body mass index) to find out who is obese. You compare the percentage of obese people in each group. The results show different obesity rates across the four groups.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that there is a higher percentage of obese African-American students than Caucasian students, within the age band of 15 to 18 years.
Method & Materials
You will separate the participants into four groups: 50 African-American boys, 50 African-American girls, 50 Caucasian boys, and 50 Caucasian girls. You will measure each participant's height and weight to calculate their BMI.
You will need a measuring tape, a flat wall, a weighing machine, and one roll of masking tape.
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See what’s includedResults
The results showed that there was a higher percentage of obese African-Americans than Caucasians. There was 38% obesity amongst African American boys and 34% amongst African-American girls, compared to 28% obese Caucasian boys and 22% obese Caucasian girls.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it looks at the differences in obesity rates between two different racial groups.
Also Consider
Consider comparing the rate of obesity amongst Hispanic-Americans and African-Americans. You could also compare the waistlines of the participants.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related videos
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