One factor that contributes to the high rate of hypertension and diabetes as well as to the development of CHD in African American Women is obesity (20). Body mass index (BMI) and body fat distribution are both predictive of CHD risk in women. In addition, central obesity is associated with various metabolic problems including glucose intolerance, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. The Nurses Health Study demonstrated a strong positive relationship between obesity and risk of CHD. In 14 years of follow-up, women who gained the most weight were at the greatest risk for CHD development (20). Given their prevalence of obesity, this is particularly worrisome data for African American women. The ARIC study reported that approximately 75% of African American women are obese (10). According to the ARIC data, obesity is more prevalent in black women than in any other racial/gender mix group studied (10). A major contributing factor to the development of obesity is physical activity. Physical activity is inversely associated with the risk of death and is an independent risk factor for the development of CHD (17). Increased physical activity is associated with a lower risk of CHD. The metabolic benefits of physical activity is believed to relate to elevated HDL cholesterol and lipoprotein lipase activity, decreased low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, fibrinogen level and platelet aggregation. In addition, body weight, blood pressure and glucose tolerance are positively affected (10). According to the Behavioral Risk Factor Study, an alarming 43% of black women over the age of 18 reported no leisure time physical activity compared to 28% of white American women (17). While measuring only leisure time physical activity precludes the inclusion of nonleisure energy expenditure, the lack of leisure activity in African American women undoubtedly contributes to their development of obesity and enhances their risk of developing CHD.