Self-reported weight loss practices among African American and Hispanic adults in the United States.

Objective: To describe weight loss methods used and interactions with health care professionals on the issue of weight among African Americans and Hispanics.

Methods: Five hundred thirty-seven African American and 526 Hispanic adults who self-described as being overweight participated in a telephone interview.

Results: Exercise and healthy eating were the 2 most commonly used weight loss methods among both groups; prescription medications were the least-utilized weight loss aid. Forty-one percent of African Americans and 35% of Hispanics reported having been advised to lose weight by a health care professional.

Conclusions: Do-it-yourself approaches to weight loss predominate among African Americans and Hispanics; formal assistance is rarely used. Physician advice on weight loss is suboptimal.