The African American populace is a significant minority in the US. Healthwise, the group is observed have different patterns that posit the challenges it faces for being disfranchised from major public health avenues, as well as how it fares in various socio-economic parameters (Boulware et al., 2003). Center for Disease Control over the years has gathered enough data which has shown trends that public health officials and policymakers ought to take into account when serving this population. Each ethnic group has qualities that make it stand out or others be predisposed to certain socio-health conditions. This is evident from the different patterns that will be tackled in this paper.
The clamor for the concerted health management efforts targeting the African American populace is captured effectively by sentiments shared by Louis Israel Dublin. In 1928 Dublin noted that "an improvement in Negro health, to the point where it would compare favorably with that of the white race, would at one stroke wipe out many disabilities from which the race suffers, improve its economic status and stimulate its native abilities as it would no other single improvement. These are the social implications of the facts of Negro Health"( Noonan, Velasco-Mondragon, & Wagner, 2016). This assertion continues to stand out to date. It is prudent to note that this minority continues to be the most riddled with health challenges. This is not by chance. By virtue of slavery, the African American community was exposed to the worst conditions that could be forced on one sector of a community by another. Slavery brought about deaths and epidemics as well as psychological trauma which has been passed from generation to another. In recent years, the CDC reports that African American health has slightly improved, but it is still characterized by important health challenges.
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CDC website cites that African Americans are living longer compared to over ethnic groups in the United States. This is captured in the statistics which indicate that the death rate of the minority group has reduced over 17 years by 25% particularly for 65 years and older cohort (CDC, 2019). Nevertheless, an unusual pattern has been noted in the population as the young are currently affected by conditions that are observable in the white 65 years and older cohort. According to the records across different states, African Americans in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s are struggling with conditions that can be managed early, but once they are ignored, they can end up being chronic hence causing early deaths (CDC, 2019). African Americans aged 18-49 years are two times more likely to die from cardiovascular diseases than their white counterparts of the same age. CDC through a general outlook points out that the African Americans are likely to die early of varied medical conditions than any other group. This observed across a spectrum of conditions such as diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure.
Lifestyle choices are significantly shaping the direction of public health among African Americans. Currently the percentage of African Americans male and female adults that smoke stands at 21.1% and 13.5% respectively for the period 2014-2016 (CDC, 2019). Obesity has been on the rise with the percentage of men and women aged 20 and over and at 37.5% and 56.1% for the two genders respectively as per the data collected between the years 2013 and 2016 (CDC, 2019). The two statistics are a show of how far the lifestyle choices assumed by the African American demographic continue to affect their general health. Nutrition wise, African Americans do not have sufficient access to healthy foods. According to CDC in all states, fewer than 1 in 5 adults consume the desired quota of fruits than in 1 in 7 eat sufficient amount of vegetables. This is tied to the fact that many low-income households are found in areas where they lack access to affordable and healthy food choices.
Some barriers influence the health patterns among the African American community. It is prudent to note that most of the culinary habits of the community are not wholly balanced. They are highly inclined to fast foods that are usually fatty and carbohydrate-intensive. The popular Southern diet, for instance, incorporates plenty of fried food, sweet tea, and cheese casseroles which have been noted to increase cholesterol, sodium and sugar levels in the body. It is these elements that bring about heart diseases, diabetes and obesity (Dressler & Bindon, 2000). African Americans have low levels of education which makes them be disfranchised from learning about healthy eating habits.
Additionally, much of the Black populace is found in low-income neighborhoods that do not have access to organic foods, vegetables, and fruits which are integral for healthy living (Boulware et al., 2003). Through lack of sufficient representation in the political scene, the community lacks the policy-centric initiatives targeting its wellbeing and health. An ethnomedical model is integral when it comes to managing the health of the African American community. This focuses on using traditional interventions in promoting health. Therefore, an audit of past health interventions is centered on the use of traditional concoctions, spirituality, and collectivism. All these interventions are anchored on self-care which is integral in the overall wellbeing of an individual physically, psychologically and mentally.
The best health promotion prevention ought to be pursued at the primary level. This is because the primary interventions are cost-effective and are easy to apply. For the African American community, there is a need to carry out sensitization on healthy eating habits. This means households should be given model meal timetables or dietary regimes that are cost-effective and easy to maintain. For instance, public health officials should encourage families to consume fruits and salads on a regular basis. Schools and other social institutions should facilitate safe habits such as exercising regularly, personal hygiene et cetera (Noonan, Velasco-Mondragon, & Wagner, 2016). Exercising regularly can be made possible through the creation of public gymnasiums where members of the community can work out at a low cost. Hygiene can be encouraged at very basic education levels such as the elementary school where learners ought to be taught how to clean after themselves, wash hands before eating any food and consuming clean water. Another effective primary preventive measure is immunization. This is possible through the participation of public health and the local community health practitioners. Immunization goes a long way in protecting children and even adults from contracting some deadly medical conditions.
References
Boulware, L., Cooper, L. A., Ratner, L. E., LaVeist, T. A., & Powe, N. R. (2003). Race and trust in the health care system. Public Health Reports , 118 (4), 358-365. doi:10.1016/s0033-3549(04)50262-5
CDC. (2019, January 14). African American Health . Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aahealth/index.html
Dressler, W. W., & Bindon, J. R. (2000). The Health Consequences of Cultural Consonance: Cultural Dimensions of Lifestyle, Social Support, and Arterial Blood Pressure in an African American Community. American Anthropologist , 102 (2), 244-260. doi:10.1525/aa.2000.102.2.244
Noonan, A. S., Velasco-Mondragon, H. E., & Wagner, F. A. (2016). Improving the health of African Americans in the USA: an overdue opportunity for social justice. Public Health Reviews , 37 (1). doi:10.1186/s40985-016-0025-4
