African American Health Paper

The incidence of cancer is higher in Black Americans, both men and women, than non-Hispanic Whites. Men are more likely to have lung, pancreatic and stomach cancer. They are more likely to die from prostate cancer. Black African American women are 36% more likely to die from breast cancer.

According to the office of the minority health, approximately 48% of African American women and 44% of African American men suffer from some form of the cardiovascular disease which includes heart disease and stroke and adults are 40 percent more likely to have high blood pressure while the women are 1.6 times more likely to die from heart diseases and complications than other ethnic groups (The Office of Minority Health, 2016).

Declining cancer incidence and mortality rates in the United States have continued through the first decade of the twenty-first century. However, Black Americans continue to have the higher cancer mortality rates and shorter survival times. This review discusses and compares only breast and prostate cancer mortality rates and mortality trends for Blacks and Whites. The complex relationship between socioeconomic status and race and its contribution to racial cancer disparities is discussed.

     The article on Black America Web entitled “The state of Black America, Part 4: Health as Wealth” (Lewis, 17 Jan. 05) is mainly addressing how African Americans should get check-ups, eat a healthier diet, exercise, among other things to maintain their health. The authors main point of writing an article about health is so that African Americans will be propelled to take preventative measures to prevent and treat disease that may be debilitating or lethal, to get professional help if they are not feeling mentally prepared, and to put aside mistrust of the medical profession.

African Americans are the third largest racial or ethnic population, totaling 13.2% of the United States population (CDC, 2015). Giger (2013) states, some health disparities associated with African Americans is due to discriminatory practices and inequalities in social, economic, and educational opportunities, rather than biological factors. Statistics identifies higher health disparities for this population reflected in overall mortality rates compared to other populations. According to the Office of Minority Health (2014), the adult mortality rate is higher in African Americans for heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza, pneumonia, and diabetes, as well as higher rates of infant mortality. For instance, the overall adult mortality rate for African Americans is 860.5 per 100,000 population compared to 731.0 per 100,000 population in Caucasian Americans according to 2012 data (KFF, 2015).

African Americans are twice as likely to die of an illness such as cancer and heart disease as well as, less likely to have health access compared to any other race. African Americans are yet subject to racial discrimination and stereotypes in the health care, that leads them without the correct health screenings and treatments. The root of these racial disparities connects with the intersectionality of race, class, gender and education.

The African American Health coalition is a group under the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, newly redesigned as the Common Ground Health. Their focus is to create a community response that would eliminate health disparities that affect African Americans within the community (Common Ground Health). The creation of a coalition is due to a need for “different sectors of the community, state or nation” to join together “to create opportunities” to benefit all parties involved (Butterfoss, 157). As well the “strategies for addressing the initial problem” are not a one time solution, but are “sustained” over a long period of time (Korfmacher, 436). The African American Health coalition has done a considerable job at not only creating opportunities

There are three different types of diabetes that affects African Americans. The first is Type 1 diabetes, which runs in the history of the family (Baptiste-Roberts, 2007). This is caused by a malfunctioning immune system, which annihilates the beta cells that are

African-Americans value health education and health maintenance which suggests that they are interested in their health, and may be receptive to prevention and health promotion interventions. Prayer, spirituality and church are important to African-Americans and play a key role in the lives of many of their lives.

Type II Diabetes in African Americans is a major health disparity that is growing every day and needs to be understood more. According to the American Diabetes Association, African Americans are 1.7 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites (American Diabetes Association). Why is that? Scientist have been extensively trying to answer this question with various studies and experiments. Though it is not yet fully understood, small achievements have been made and answers are constantly being searched for. Testing and early diagnosis, primary prevention, access to care for everyone and improving that quality of care will make a difference in the number of casualties and people being affected in the African American community.

Health disparities are the inequalities that appear in the arrangement of healthcare and approaches to healthcare across different racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and socioeconomic group.

The Black community’s ears are attuned to the sounds of the salon—the drone of clippers, scissors snick-snipping locks of hair, gossiping voices muffled by the hum of a hooded dryer. But Chicagoans might hear something new as they sit in the salon chair: medical advice.

The study Excess Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease among African American versus White Subjects in the United States: A Population-Based Study of Potential

Lifestyle, race/ethnicity and family history often play a role in determining those people who become diabetic. High-risk groups include “African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders” according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Other groups with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes are those having a family history of diabetes, persons who are older, overweight or physically inactive. Annual medical screenings and reporting symptoms to the doctor enable early detection.

The prevalence of diabetes Mellitus among African American are escalating on an alarming rate in the past 30 years and the rate has quadrupled. African Americans are 1.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than the Caucasians, with individuals 20 years and older accounting to 10.8% of all individuals with diabetes (CDC, 2015). A comparison of rates of diagnosis of diabetes mellitus by ethnic and race disclosed that in 2010 by the American Diabetes Association reported that the African Americans accounted for 13.2% of 29.1 million Americans with diabetes followed by Hispanics (12.8%), Asians (9.0%), and the non-Hispanic whites having the least rate (7.6%) (ADA, 2014).