April 7 is World Health Day
Today is World Health Day, a day celebrated annually to draw attention to a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world. April 7 marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948.
This year we want to acknowledge the health disparities African Americans face and the impact it has on their overall health and well-being. African Americans have higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease than other groups and black children have a 500% higher death rate from asthma compared with white children. Social and economic factors such as Black neighborhoods lacking stores that stock healthier foods contribute to these health disparities.
“Our Black and Brown communities are more likely to have an abundance of fast food restaurants and markets stocked with unhealthy processed foods as opposed to our white counterparts, where there tends to be a greater number of grocery stores and markets with an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables,” says Northwestern Medicine Internal Medicine Physician Kimbra A. Bell, MD. “A lack of access to healthy, nutritious foods results in poorer health outcomes.”
Other social and economic factors are more common among African Americans include:
Less access to healthcare and healthcare information, a distrust of healthcare professionals based on historical discrimination, neighborhood walkability, and lower levels of education and income.
These social and economic factors, along with other environmental determinants of health, can negatively impact a person’s well-being, and lead to conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.
Swipe through to see what health issues disproportionally affect African Americans, and what we can do to overcome them.
2High Blood Pressure
The rate of high blood pressure in African Americans is among the highest of any ethnic group in the U.S. About 55% of Black adults have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension or HBP. They also get it at a younger age and suffer more complications. Higher rates of obesity and diabetes increase the risk for high blood pressure and heart disease as statistics show Black people face disproportionately high rates of both conditions. High blood pressure is a main risk factor for serious health problems such as heart disease, blood vessel disease, kidney disease, and stroke. High blood pressure also causes many other problems including erectile dysfunction and vision loss. But high blood pressure can be controlled and possibly prevented.
