Results from the attitude and belief components of a questionnaire administered to obese African-American women are described. Subjects were 181 women recruited via flyers placed in churches, clinics, and community centers. Women met six criteria: (1) defined themselves as African-American or black; (2) had body mass indices (BMI; kg/m2) of at least 28; (3) stated that they weighed too much; (4) stated that they wanted to lose at least 20 pounds; (5) stated that someone in their household was employed; and (6) were between 40 and 65 years of age. Each woman completed a structured interview and her weight and height were measured. Most women had a BMI of 36 (severely obese), a yearly income of $18,000 to $24,000, completed some college, relied primarily on family and friends for social support, knew what to eat more and less of, and believed that people can lose weight and that being overweight is unhealthy. They perceived themselves to be too heavy, wanted to be rather thin, and believed that men would find thin women most attractive. Finally, they saw receiving help from a professional and ease of program participation as central to their involvement. Thus, among these women, obesity was not an obvious result of a general lack of nutritional knowledge, inaccurate self-perceptions of body size, or the desire for a plump figure.