African American Health Disparities

http://familiesusa.org/product/african-american-health-disparities-compared-to-non-hispanic-whites Take a look at this infographic.  Consider the numbers.  What does this say about race and health? About 610,000 people in the United States die of heart disease every year. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in most ethnic groups yet the health disparities for African Americans is cause for even more alarm.  African Americans have the highest prevalence of high blood pressure of any ethnic group which greatly increases the risk for stroke. Diabetes is the number one cause of kidney disease in African Americans. Minorities are affected by all sorts of health care issues that stem from a long history of disadvantage.  Segregation, racism, prejudice, ignorance, white privilege, discrimination, societal institutions, laws, socioeconomics, and more have all contributed to the poor health of many minorities in this country. Unfortunately, like many societal issues, whether education, economic, legal, the focus tends to be on surface quick solutions rather than looking at the broader and deeper changes that need to happen.  It is easy to find tips to reduce heart disease such as exercise, healthy diets, quit smoking, and regular check-ups.  This is not to say that these tips are not good information but tend to ignore the greater and deeper understanding of the historical, political, socioconomic,  social-environmental and cultural factors that affect African American ...
Source: Dragonfly - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: Health Literacy/Consumer Health Public Health Source Type: news