http://www.thecharlottepost.com
Wi)t Cljarlotte
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2004
1B
LIFE
APfi 2
•V
s’
Suicide
risk factors
lower for
blacks
By Daniel Yee
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA - A study of sui
cides in Fulton County found
that blacks who commit sui
cide aren’t as likely as whites
to display telltale suicide risk
factors such as depression,
health officials said Monday.
The Georgia Division of
Public Health studied 1,300
suicides in Fulton County
between 1988 and 2002 and
found blacks were less likely
than whites to have knovm
risk factore including depres
sion, chronic disease, rela
tionship or money problems.
They also were less likely
than whites to leave a suicide
note or have previously
talked about suicide, health
officials said.
“Risk factors associated
with white suicide may not
be predictive of suicides
among blacks,” health offi
cials said, adding that more
needs to be done to eliminate
cultural stigmas against talk
ing about mental health
issues.
Dr. David Satcher, former
director of the Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention, said he was not
convinced the suicides
stemmed from non-tradition-
al risk factors.
“Just because a black per
son commits suicide and
doesn’t have a history of
depression doesn’t mean he
was not depressed. He might
not have had access to health
care,” Satcher said.
What’s needed, he said, is
"to reduce the stigma around
mental illness and encourage
African-Americans to seek
treatment. Then we need to
try to make sure we improve
access to mental health ser
vices.”
Only 15 percent of the 348
blacks who committed sui
cide left behind a suicide
note, compared with 36 per
cent of 784 whites. About 63
percent of whites and 42 per
cent of blacks had a history of
depression leading up to the
suicides.
Both groups frequently
used firearms in suicides.
Guns were used 62 percent of
the time for black suicides
and 59 percent of the time for
whites.
Fulton County was selected
because a similar number of
blacks and whites live there
and health officials do not
have as much data on sui
cides of blacks as they do for
whites.
Nationwide, about there
See SUICIDE/4B
Prom and proper
An attire primer
Formal wear takes on an edge as teens dare to bare
By Cheris F. Hodges
cheris.hodges@thecharlottepost.com
PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS III
Pasche Fungaling, a sales associate at Fashion.Com in Eastland Mall shows off one of the more pop
ular dress styles for prom season. Fungaling suggests the style of dress should be determined by the
girl’s body type, with plus sizes going conservative.
If Gifdy Wright, an Independence
High School junior, goes to her high
school prom, she will be wearing some
thing sexy. Which seems to be a trend
with high school girls on what was tra
ditionally an elegant and classy night.,
“(My dress) would be backless, with a
split,” Wright said, adding the dress
would either be black, pink or blue.
Her shoes would be strappy sandals
with high stiletto heels.
But, what happened to looking like a
princess at the prom? Wright, 16, said
the world has changed, and so have
prom styles.
WPEG radio personality Janine
Davis, founder of the Girl Talk
Foundation, said girls- want to wear
more risque dresses to attract the
attention that music stars like
Beyonce and rapper Trina receive.
“But that is the wrong kind of atten
tion,” Davis said. ‘When I went to
prom, it was about being poised and
cute, now it about being the flyest and
the sexiest.”
The Girl Talk Foimdation held its
Project Prom event earlier this month
where girls were able to pick dresses
and accessories free of charge. But
before dresses were given away, the
girls had to take a social etiquette
class.
Another thing that has changed is
who would go with Wright to pick out
her dress. Wright isn’t taking her
mother to find that sexy get-up.
“It would be me and my cousin,” she
said.
Retailers have also noticed the
change in styles of prom dress. Pasche
Fungaling, 22, of Fashion.Com in
Eastland Mall, says girls are looking
for attention-grabbing dresses. She
pointed to a form-fitting red dress with
spaghetti straps and a low v-neck.
“This is what girls are looking for,”
she said. “They want something so
their man will look at them and no one
else. Red attracts attention and that’s
what they want.”
Fungaling also said the style of dress
depends on the girl and her body type.
She said some plus sized girls go for
the more conservative look or a tradi
tional dress that looks more like a ball
gown. But others go for outrageous
styles, like a form-fitting dress with
one shoulder out.
Fimgaling said most girls who shop
for dresses don’t bring their parents
along and are likely go by what their
friends say looks good on them, some
thing Fungaling said her mother
wouldn’t have gone for.
“My mother made my dress,’ she
said. “It was long. I had a shawl. It was
See REVEALING3B
What’s keeping you from being fit and fabulous?
7 comebacks to common excuses
SPECIAL TO THE POST
“Tm too tired.” “I don’t have
time.” “I can’t find a babysit
ter.” Sound familiar?
As we ease into spring, sis-
tas have a few challenges
when it comes to health and
fitness. Right now, nearly 70
percent of African American
women are overweight or
obese.
And a recent survey by the
American Council on
Exercise found that 92 per
cent of black women do not
work out regularly. It’s time
to make a change and get
serious about improving your
health. So, when you hear
yourself making those same,
old, tired excuses, keep these
comebacks in mind:
Fm too tired.
You won’t be afterwards.
Regular physical activity not
only helps you feel great, but
will energize you. It may be
hard to stick to the routine at
first, but once you begin to
exercise regularly, you’ll real
ize the pros far outweigh your
initial reasons for not being
active.
Fm too busy.
What’s more important
than your health? If time is a
factor, try doing 10 minutes
of physical activity three
times a day, or planning
activities that get your family
moving like a softball game,
biking or a walk through the
zoo. Finding time for activity
today may also help you
avoid diseases tomorrow, like
type 2 diabetes, high blood
pressure, heart disease,
stroke, and some forms of
cancer.
1 just don’t feel like it.
Call a friend. If you don’t
like to exercise alone, bring
friends together to walk, jog,
or bike; take a class together
at a nearby community or fit
ness center. If you still can’t
convince a buddy to join you,
try taking a class like dance
or yoga.
I don’t like the way
healthy foods taste.
Spice ‘em up. While fried
foods and fatty meats may
taste good, they put too much
saturated fat into your diet if
you eat them often or in large
amounts. Add a little flavor
to healthier foods by using
herbs, spices, lemon, lime or
vinegar. For baked potatoes.
add salsa, low-fat sour cream
or garlic for a different twist
and for the old standard-col-
lard greens-cook with onions,
garlic, chicken broth or
smoked turkey, turkey bacon
or turkey ham.
I work long days and
often have to eat after 8
p.m.
Strive for balance. It’s how
much you eat during the
whole day and how much
Please see TIPS/3B
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