Facing Common Health Threats Among African Americans

For racial and ethnic minorities in the United States health disparities take on many forms including higher rates of chronic disease and premature death compared to the rates among whites. The death rate for African Americans decreased 25 from 1999 to 2015.

New Survey Black And Latino Americans Face Greater Mental Health Economic Challenges From Covid 19 Than White Americans Commonwealth Fund

Obesity and African Americans Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health Poor Sleep Linked with Higher Blood Sugar National Institutes of Health Also in Spanish Setting Goals to Be More Active Slows Memory Decline in Older African Americans National Institute on Aging.

Facing common health threats among african americans. Chronic disease has an excessive impact on minority populations. Infant mortality rates are twice as high for African Americans as for white Americans. Raising awareness of health issues for young people among the public and special groups.

Here are the four common problems faced by African Americans today. They are more likely to be obese which is a risk factor for such conditions as cancer diabetes and heart disease. African Americans who are more likely to be impoverished incarcerated homeless and fighting substance abuse are all at higher risk for poor mental health.

Despite rates being less than the overall US. Combined these factors resulted in 94 percent of black adults getting mental health treatment or some form of counseling in 2014 versus 188. Population major depressive episodes increased from 9 percent-103 percent in Black and African American youth ages 12-17 61 percent to 94 percent in young adults 18-25 and 57 percent to 63 percent in the 26-49 age range between 2015 and 2018.

Poverty is highly correlated with poor health outcomes and increased morbidity and mortality. Lack of family structure. Among Black Americans with any mental illness 359 or 11 million had a serious mental illness SMI according to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health NSDUH.

Although African American income peaked in 2000 it has been declining ever since. We are featuring the work of Anderson J. According to a 2002 study 70 of all African American children were illegitimate and that number rose from 236 back in 1963 because that was the year when welfare became a right according to the constitution which made having husbands redundant.

According to the US. Among African-Americans between the ages of 12 and 19 the obesity rates are 24 percent for girls and 21 percent for boys. Heart Disease and Sickle Cell Anemia.

Two Common Health Threats Faced by African Americans. Heart disease diabetes obesity elevated blood lead levels and low birth. Discrimination which includes racism can lead to chronic and toxic stress and shapes social and economic factors that put some people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk for COVID-19.

Microscopic pollutants in the air can penetrate respiratory and circulatory systems damaging the lungs heart and brain killing 7 million people prematurely every year from diseases such as cancer stroke heart and lung disease. People from some racial and ethnic minority groups face multiple barriers to accessing health care. It is important to note that this pattern is not universal.

Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health HHSOMH Black Americans are 20 more likely to experience serious mental illness SMI than the general population. 5 6 Healthcare access and use. African Americans ages 35-64 years are 50 more likely to have high blood pressure than whites.

In honor of African-American Heritage Month the Ethnicity and Health in America Series is raising awareness about the physiological and psychological impact of racism and discrimination as it relates to stress. The prevalence of diabetes among African Americans is about 70 higher than among white Americans. The state of health for African-Americans is especially precarious.

Compared to their white counterparts African Americans are generally at higher risk for heart diseases stroke cancer asthma influenza and pneumonia diabetes and HIVAIDS according to the Office of Minority Health part of the Department for Health and Human Services1. African Americans ages 18-49 are 2 times as likely to die from heart disease than whites. Making recommendations to governments on adolescent health and adolescent friendly health services.

The percentage of African. An estimated 13 million adolescents died in. Indeed African Americans are more likely to have high blood pressure diabetes and general poor health than a typical person in the United States according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC.

Disparities In Health And Health Care 5 Key Questions And Answers Kff