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African-American women are giving up sports because of... hairstyles
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
A sedentary lifestyle threatens a person with major health problems. In developed countries, low physical activity of people is one of the main causes of many diseases, and the scale of the problem has long looked threatening.
Perhaps each of us understands how important physical activity is to avoid obesity, hypertension and other diseases that are the constant companions of a sedentary lifestyle. However, not all people go to gyms, swimming pools, regularly do exercises or go for morning jogs. What's more, even the most ordinary walk is a rarity for many. The reasons why people refuse physical exercise can be very different, but perhaps the most unique of them was discovered by American scientists as a result of a survey of 103 African-American women. Forty percent of them said that they avoid physical exercise because of their hairstyles, the care of which requires a lot of time and effort from black women.
According to statistics, African American women are less likely to exercise regularly than white American women. Scientists from the Wake Forest School of Medicine and their colleagues decided to conduct a study that would help to find out the reasons for this phenomenon. It turned out that the reason for this may be that representatives of the Negroid race find it more difficult to take care of their hair than Caucasian women. In this regard, African American women in general wash their hair less often than white women in order to keep their hair intact and in good condition. Therefore, they refuse regular physical exercise, after which it is necessary to take a shower.
"Hair care was one of the reasons African-American women surveyed gave for not exercising," said lead author Rebecca Hall. "More than half of the women reported exercising less than 75 minutes a week, and 26.2 percent reported not exercising at all."
The average age of the 103 female respondents was 42 years.
Most of these women (62.1 percent) straighten their hair, and 81.6 percent wash their hair once every one to two weeks.
35.9 percent of respondents reported that taking care of their hair prevents them from going to the pool or taking water treatments. 29.1 percent of African American women said that for the same reason they refuse aerobics and gymnastics.
Scientists also found that women with normal scalp (neither oily nor dry) exercise more often than those who have problems with the condition of their scalp and hair.
"An effective strategy to promote exercise among African American women, who are prone to obesity and sedentary-related diseases, must address dermatologic concerns. The high percentage of women with scalp problems among African American women suggests that dermatologists should be more sensitive to these seemingly minor symptoms when providing care to African American women," the study authors conclude.