LEADING CAUSES OF MORBIDITY:
Some of the diseases which often result in early death in African-Americans, provided that the go untreated or undiagnosed, include hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, dementia (i.e., Alzheimer's disease), diabetes and certain types of cancer, most notably lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer (in men). Exactly why the morbidity rates for these disease are so much higher in African-Americans than in other ethnic/racial groups include a lack of education, lower incomes and the inability to access professional health care providers and clinics ("Health and Health Care," 2009, Internet). At the top of the list, there is hypertension, coronary heart disease (especially arterial blockage), stroke and some major types of cancer. With hypertension, some studies have shown that if a black male lives in poverty, his chances of being stricken with high blood pressure increases, perhaps because of the stress which goes along with living in poor neighborhoods. In older black males, prostate cancer is 60% higher than in other ethnic/racial groups, perhaps due to a poor diet and one rich in fat and carbohydrates ("Health and Health Care," 2009, Internet). One additional illness which seems to have a higher incidence in African-Americans is glaucoma which is more than eight times higher than in whites. The reason for this may be linked...
First, in rural areas, blacks must be given the same healthcare access as other racial groups regardless of income or social standing in the community. This could be accomplished if local, state and federal agencies set up clinics in poor rural areas and in urban areas made up mostly of African-Americans living in abject poverty. Second, most of these diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes and certain types of cancer could be greatly reduced by a federally-mandated program aimed at encouraging African-Americans to stop eating fast food and instead purchase healthy foods like vegetables and those low in fat which would ultimately lower the chances of acquiring illnesses which lead to an early death or contribute to a poor quality of life.
REFERENCES
"Health and Health Care of African-American Elders." (2009). Internet. Accessed June 24,
2009 from http://www.stanford.edu/group/ethnoger/african.html.
Spector, Rachel E. (2008). Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness. New York: Pearson
Prentice-Hall.
