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Health & Wellness

Know Your Risks

Did you know that...

High blood pressure is more common in African Americans than other ethnic groups in the U.S. (1)
More than 45 percent of African American men and women have unhealthy cholesterol levels. (1)
African Americans are at higher risk of dying from heart disease and stroke than most other Americans. (1)
Three out of every four African American women are overweight. (1)
African Americans are twice as likely to have diabetes as Caucasians of similar age. (2)
More than half of the 40,000 new HIV infections per year in the U.S. occur in blacks. (3)
African American children are three to four times more likely than Caucasian children to be hospitalized for the treatment of asthma.(4)

Your family health history also influences your health risks.

Having family members with high blood pressure, high

cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, and other health condiditons

can increase your chances of developing a similar health problem.

If you are a man...

African American men have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the U.S. (5) Each year, more than 6,000 African American men die from prostate cancer. (6) Talk with your doctor about screenings for prostate health. To check for prostate cancer, your doctor can do a digital rectal exmination and a blood test called a PSA (prostate specific antigen).

Also, talk with your doctor about screenings for sexually transmitted diseases. HIV is the third leading cause of death in black men in the U.S. between the ages of 25 and 34. It is the second leading cause of death in black men in the U.S. between the ages of 35 and 44. (7)

If you are a woman...

Among women with breast cancer, more black women die from it than white women because they often get diagnosed too late. (8) When breast cancer is found early, a woman has a greater chance of surviving and saving her breast.

References

1. American Heart Association. "Facts About African Americans, Heart Disease and Stroke." Available at www.americanheart.org. Accessed April 5, 2005.

2. NIDDK. "Diabetes in African Americans." Available at http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/africanamerican. Accessed April 5, 2004.

3. Kaiser Permanente. A Provider's Handbook on Culturally Competent Care; African American Population, 2nd Edition; page 26.

4. American Lung Association. Public Policy Brief: Key Facts About Asthma, 2001. Used in "Asthma Action American: Key Statistics," September 2002. Available at www.lungusa.org/press/asthma. Accessed March 13, 2004.

5. National Cancer Institute: "Cancer Information - Cancer - Prostate - U.S. Racial/Ethnic Cancer Patterns." Available at www.cancer.gov.

6. American Cancer Society. "Cancer Facts and figures for African Americans, 2000-2001."

7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "10 Leading Causes of Death, U.S., 2002, Black, Non-Hispanic Males." Available at http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcaus.html. Assessed December 21, 2004.

8. American Cancer Society. "Cancer Facts and figures for African Americans, 2003-2004." Available at www.cancer.org.

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