(Photo: Courtesy Winter Park Memorial Hospital)

(The Root) — Obesity is more common in African-Americans than in other ethnic groups. But when it comes to Black people and weight, that's where the agreement seems to end. Is food the culprit? Is exercise the solution? Is there even a real problem to begin with, or should we be focusing on health — or even self-acceptance — rather than the number on the scale?

Against the backdrop of the first lady's mission to slim down the nation's kids, Black celebs getting endorsements after shedding inches and a booming weight-loss industry, The Root will publish a series of interviews with medical professionals, activists and fitness enthusiasts that reveal the complexity of this issue and the range of approaches to it.

For the eighth in the series, The Root talked to Dr. Gayle Porter. A clinical psychologist by training, she's the author of Prime Time: The African-American Woman's Complete Guide to Midlife Health and Wellness and, along with Dr. Marilyn Hughes Gaston, she founded the Gaston & Porter Health Improvement Center. Operating in four states and Washington, D.C., its mission is to improve the health outcomes of African-American women and reduce health disparities. She talked to us about why she refuses to accept poverty as an excuse for African-American obesity, her problem with the food served in black churches and the difference a 30-minute daily walk can make.

Read the rest of the interviews in the series here, and check out The Root's other obesity coverage here.

The Root: According to the latest statistics, African-Americans are 1.5 times as likely as whites to be obese. What's going on, from your perspective, with Black people, obesity and overall health?

Gayle Porter: I want to underline that we are the only group that is more obese than we are overweight. We have larger rates of obesity and smaller rates of people being overweight. I think this is due to several factors. First, we are the most sedentary group. African-American women exercise less than any other group of women in the country. Second, it's our nutrition: We eat more foods, we consume more sugar in our foods and we're more apt to eat Southern-style cooking, which is often laden with fats and with sugar. We also eat a lot of fried foods. Finally, our levels of stress are high, so we do a lot of emotional eating. When you have that combination of high levels of fats, low levels of physical activity and diets that are full of sugar and fats, you're going to get obesity.

For more on the series, visit theroot.com.

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