Black women have the highest prevalence of obesity (56.6%) in the United States. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all adults with obesity participate in an evidence-based, intensive, multicomponent behavioral treatment for this disease. Such treatment has been shown to produce clinically significant weight loss among patients; however, weight loss is typically not maintained over time. Patients and health care professionals agree that treatment of obesity should occur in primary care clinics. A major research gap is the lack of evidence that the treatment for obesity recommended by the Task Force is effective for weight loss and weight loss maintenance among Black women patients at primary care clinics.
