Society Only in the USA - things that baffle non-Americans

Maciamo said:
Generally speaking, populations that did not get most of their calories from cereals before the European colonisation are more prone to obesity when they adopt the modern Western diet. That is the case for Pacific islanders (who traditionally ate almost exclusively fish, seafood, vegetables and fruits), Native Americans (a bit less Andeans and Mexicans, but not that much), and some African populations.

Hispanic is a misleading term because it can apply equally to people are mostly of Native American ancestry, to others who are mostly of European (Spanish, Portuguese) ancestry, and yet others with mixed ancestry.

In the southern USA, many peopled classified as non-Hispanic White have a few per cents of Native American (usually Cherokee) or Black African ancestry. That can be up to 15-20% and not be visible physically. The actual percentage doesn't matter. What they should check is which version of genes processing carbohydrates they have (it may not be simply alleles, but the number of copies of some genes, which is not yet tested by companies like 23andMe).

One of the main reasons of obesity in Europe is alcohol consumption, which is way higher than in the US. Italy has the lowest alcohol consumption and one of the lowest obesity rate. The Irish, British, Czechs, Latvians, etc. are all well known for heavy drinking, especially men. Another factor is greasy food, especially in northern, central and eastern Europe. That is not necessarily fast food. Just look at traditional German and Polish meat dishes.
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I agree with much of that except for one caveat. From the people I know who are Cubans and Venezuelans, they are usually only a few % minority in ancestry, and they invariably identify as "white" socially and on the census. On the flip side, multiple studies have been done on the mass of Hispanics in the Southwest, and the vast majority are Mexicans who are at least 50% Native American. The Central Americans are even more Native American. As for Caribbean Hispanics, they have high percentages of both Indian and African ancestry. Native Americans, who are centered in the Mountain States, have among the highest obesity rates in the world, some as high as Polynesians, for the reason you explained.

So, when looking at the obesity map of the southern United States, it helps to remember that close to 50% of the population in those states is black, and the latter have among the highest obesity rates in the U.S. In Texas and some of the southwest, half the population is Mexican in ancestry and Mexico has the second highest obesity rate in the world according to some studies. The midwest, which is the second highest area in terms of obesity, is largely Germanic in ancestry, so perhaps inherited cuisines and lots of beer are factors, and although I don't have the figures, by driving through, fast food restaurants are ubiquitous. As for California, they have a lot of Mexican Americans as well, but it's balanced by lots of East Asians. The upper northwest is white bread mostly, except for a few pockets.
 
Using data from the site mentioned in post #6 above, I created a map of fast food outlets per 10,000 inhabitants by state. With the odd exception of Mississippi, it is people in the Midwest and Southern states that consume the most fast food. It is also in those states that obesity is the most prevalent.

USA-fast_food_per_capita.png
 
Jovialis said:
Here the CDC has many health facts for each ethnic group in the United States.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/american-indian-health.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/white-health.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/asian-health.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/black-health.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/hispanic-health.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mexican-health.htm
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Well, it tells the tale, doesn't it, as I said, in terms of infant mortality. It's 10% versus all other groups which hover around four, including Hispanics, 20% of whom don't have health insurance. The latter is to be expected as such a significant percentage are illegals. Even so, blacks, only 12% of whom don't have health insurance have higher numbers. It's drug addiction, most likely.

This also highlights something I've never understood. I understand why 20% of Hispanics have no health insurance, but why do 12% of blacks and 7% of whites not have Medicaid? It makes no sense to me. If you're poor and have no employer provided health insurance, or even bad health provider insurance (i.w. you're a part time worker), you can get Medicaid.

Hispanics, including Mexicans, are by far the most obese group, but black women singly are the most obese. I understand the Hispanic numbers given the Amerindian ancestry, but I don't understand the difference between black women and black men.

Interesting that blacks seem to tend more toward high blood pressure than Hispanics even when Hispanics are heavier (in men). There must be a genetic component. There certainly is in my family. My mother was 5'5" and 118 pounds when she got it at 45, and the same thing happened to me at exactly the same age and almost exactly the same weight (and height).

Also interesting how much more smoking there is among white people.

This is why national statistics can be so misleading.
 
but I don't understand the difference between black women and black men.
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I think that the sexual dimorphism is stronger in this respect among certain SSA. Its very noticeable even in some tribal groups in Africa living a more traditional way of life, at least it seems so, even in Nigeria:
The overall prevalence ofoverweightin females(7.5%)was higher than in males(4.7%). Overall,the prevalenceof overweightwas6.1%.
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https://www.ajol.info//index.php/thrb/article/view/73175

Also it might be related to daily life activities, living more indoors vs. being more outdoors and active. This is even more pronounced in more dangerous environments I guess. Especially in the lower social strata, obesity in females seems to be generally more pronounced than in males, even throughout various ethnic groups. There is an almost inverse correlation sometimes with stereotypical gaunt males and obese women.
 
Here are some interesting facts on fertility rates according to the CDC:



Total fertility rates for non-Hispanic white
women
• For non-Hispanic white women in 2017, among the 50
states and District of Columbia, the TFR was highest in Utah
(2,099.5) (Table 1 and Figure 2).
• The lowest TFR for non-Hispanic white women in 2017 was
in the District of Columbia (1,012.0).
• No state had a TFR for non-Hispanic white women that was
at or above the population replacement level (2,100.0) in
2017.


Total fertility rates for non-Hispanic black
women
• In 2017, for non-Hispanic black women, the highest TFR
was in Maine (4,003.5) (Table 1 and Figure 3).
• The states with the lowest TFR for non-Hispanic black women
in 2017 were Wyoming (1,146.0), California (1,503.5),
New York (1,574.5), Connecticut (1,575.5), West Virginia
(1,579.5), Rhode Island (1,594.0), Montana (1,641.0), and
New Mexico (1,651.0).
• In 2017, TFRs for non-Hispanic black women were above
the replacement level of 2,100.0 in 12 states.


Total fertility rates for Hispanic women
• For Hispanic women in 2017, among the 50 states and
District of Columbia, Alabama had the highest TFR (3,085.0)
(Table 1 and Figure 4).
• The lowest TFRs for Hispanic women in 2017 were in
Vermont (1,200.5) and Maine (1,281.5).
• In 2017, TFRs for Hispanic women were above the
replacement level (2,100.0) in 29 states.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_01-508.pdf
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Here is the mortality rate according to the CDC:


Non-Hispanic Whites:
Deaths per 100,000 population: 1,083.2


Non-Hispanic Black:
Deaths per 100,000 population: 787.5


Native Americans:
Deaths per 100,000 population: 703.4


Asian or Pacific Islander:
Deaths per 100,000 population: 359.8


Hispanics
Deaths per 100,000 population: 341.9


Mexican American:
Deaths per 100,000 population: 287.4

Source:

Jovialis said:
Here the CDC has many health facts for each ethnic group in the United States.
Click to expand...
Jovialis said:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/american-indian-health.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/white-health.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/asian-health.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/black-health.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/hispanic-health.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mexican-health.htm
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Here are statistics on smoking from the same CDC source:

Smoking for American Indian or Alaska Native population
Percent of men aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 19.6% (2015-2017)
Percent of women aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 19.4% (2015-2017)


Smoking for Asian population
Percent of men aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 12.5% (2015-2017)
Percent of women aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 4.0% (2015-2017)


Smoking for Black or African American non-Hispanic populaton
Percent of men aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 20.0% (2015-2017)
Percent of women aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 12.8% (2015-2017)


Smoking for Hispanic or Latino populaton
Percent of men aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 13.5% (2015-2017)
Percent of women aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 7.0% (2015-2017)


Smoking for Mexican American population
Percent of men aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 14.8% (2015-2017)
Percent of women aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 6.5% (2015-2017)


Smoking for non-Hispanic White population
Percent of men aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 17.1% (2015-2017)
Percent of women aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 15.2% (2015-2017)
 
This is revolting:

Cigarette Smoking Makes Comeback During Coronavirus Pandemic


https://www.wsj.com/articles/altrias-net-revenue-falls-11595938465
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The other day, I saw someone with a mask over their chin, smoking a cigarette. I thought to myself, how stupid it was. Cigarettes are associated with more than 480,000 deaths per year, which is more than the deaths attributed to Covid thus far. Odds are many of those deaths related to Covid were probably people with weak lungs from smoking cigarettes.
 
Jovialis said:
^^It seems that non-Hispanic whites have the lowest birthrate, in addition to having the highest mortality rate. Despite the fact that they are more likely to have health insurance coverage.
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I think some of this may be tied to what is happening to white working class people in this country: the loss of jobs, the loss of self-respect, the loss of hope.

The result is an increase in smoking, drinking, drugs, including the opiate addiction which is killing their children.

The CDC had reported a reverse trend in longevity for this group a while ago.

It's tragic.
 
It's not just smoking cigarettes. I drove past a 7 Eleven the other day: three white twenty something year olds were passing around a vape to try it out. Can you believe it? And people wonder why Covid rates are going up. I'm sure they're still passing around joints too. They looked pretty rough, or I would have stopped the car and said something. IDIOTS.
 
Very interesting. I'm a bit surprised it's that high in France, but glad about it.

Equally surprised about Germany. You'd think they'd be grateful we've contributed to their high standard of living all these years by taking care of all their defense costs.
 
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