Analyzing The Health Status Of Black/African American

Analyzing The Health Status Of Black/African American
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Introduction
According to the US Census Bureau of statistics, there are about 44.1 million (13.6% of the total American population) African Americans in the US as of the 2019 census. Due to their social and economic situation, African Americans record more health issues than other American ethnic groups such as whites and Latinos. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that while the death rate has declined among African Americans in the past 17 years, younger African American’s are either living with or dying with some conditions that characterize a significant percentage of older white American’s. For example, a significant percentage of African American’s are diagnosed with chronic diseases in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, more than the same diseases are diagnosed in other ethnic groups. Today, African Americans aged 20-49 years old reportedly twice more likely to die from heart-related diseases than whites (Bell et al., 2020). CDC reports further that African American’s aged 35-64 years are 50% more likely to have chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Several aspects contribute to the rampant health issues affecting African Americans, including poor access to healthcare service compared to non-minorities and overall disparities in the healthcare system, which has triggered disparities that affect African American minority groups. Healthcare disparities and inadequate access to healthcare, among other factors, mean that chronic diseases and their risk factors are not often reported on time, increasing their vulnerability to diseases easily manageable in non-minorities groups.
Health Disparities and Nutritional Challenges
While chronic diseases affect all Americans, African American’s experience more obstacles in the prevention, management, and treatment of many health-related diseases compared to whites. This is major because African Americans are almost three times poor (28% compared to 9% white). According to CDC, low socioeconomic status is linked with more diseases, 90% of which are preventable among high-income groups. Low income combined with systemic healthcare discrimination and lifestyle changes increase their health issues compared to non-minorities. According to Fernandez-Lazaro et al. (2019), low income or poverty decreases the overall ability to seek medical care and afford quality and healthy food. This explains why African American women record the highest rate of obesity in the US as compared to other ethnic groups (Bell et al., 2020). As of 2020, 4 out of 5 African American women were overweight, which increased their risk of developing cardiovascular diseases three to four-folds. More so, low-income earners are at high risk of overweight due to their inability to afford healthy food and quality lifestyle such as access to gyms and healthcare information, among other advantages afforded by the white majority.
According to Assari (2018), while health disparities, including lack of transportation to the hospital, poorly equipped community hospitals, and high cost of community prescription, contribute to Afri...