African
Americans represent 14% of the U.S. population (44,456,009) yet have the widest
gaps in health care compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Individuals
experience alarming rates heart disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, STDs, and
cancer. Early health education and
prevention activities among this population, particularly youth and young
adults, is paramount to improve health and outcomes in later life. Among the population, the health and wellness
of young African American men is of particular concern. According the the US Census there are 7.4 million African American males between ages 10-34 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). It is imperative that programs are developed to improve health among this growing population.
Public Health Issues:
Key
public health issues among young African American men include HIV/AIDS,
substance abuse, poor health insurance, and violence (Battle, 2002).
HIV/AIDS: African Americans continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV infection. HIV/AIDS. In 1999, AIDS was the number one killer of African American males between the ages of 25 and 44 years (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). Ten years later, the estimated rate of new HIV infections among African Americans (68.9) was 7.9 times as high as the rate in whites (8.7) (Center for Disease Control & Prevention, 2014). Of all of the new HIV infections among African Americans, 51% were among men who have sex with men (MSM) (CDC, 2014).
Health Insurance: Nearly 4 out of 10 young African American men
lack health insurance (The
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2006).
HIV/AIDS: African Americans continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV infection. HIV/AIDS. In 1999, AIDS was the number one killer of African American males between the ages of 25 and 44 years (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). Ten years later, the estimated rate of new HIV infections among African Americans (68.9) was 7.9 times as high as the rate in whites (8.7) (Center for Disease Control & Prevention, 2014). Of all of the new HIV infections among African Americans, 51% were among men who have sex with men (MSM) (CDC, 2014).
Violence: Among 10 to 24 year olds, homicide is the leading cause of death for African Americans; the second leading cause of death for Hispanics; and the third leading cause of death American Indians and Alaska Natives.
References
Battle,
S. F. (2002). Health Concerns for African
American Youth. Journal Of Health
& Social Policy, 15(2),
35-44.
Center for Disease Control &
Prevention (2014). HIV among youth.
Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/age/youth/index.html?s_cid=tw_std0141316
Centers for Disease Control &
Prevention (2014). Youth Violence: facts
at a glance. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/yv-datasheet-a.pdf
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
(2006). Young African American Men in the
United States: race, ethnicity, & healthcare fact sheet. Retrieved
from: http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/7541.pdf
U.S. Census Bureau (2010). Age groups and sex. Retrieved from: http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF2_QTP1&prodType=table
Thanks for your sharing about the health issue of African American. With regard to African American males, 60% of African American males did not meet the physical activity guideline with weekly 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise intensity, when compared to one-third of Caucasians adults (Griffith, Allen, Johnson-Lawrence, & Langford 2014). This fact of aerobic fitness level may be of importance in explaining the incidence of hypertension among normotensive African American men (Bond et al., 2002). In addition, the ethnic disparity of higher prevalence of hypertension has put African American in the health risks (Roberie & Elliott, 2012; Zion et al., 2003). Given the nature of the hypertension, the modification of a lifestyle to being physically active is needed.
ReplyDeleteByron,
ReplyDeleteI care for African American men who are incarcerated and I am very much aware of the health disparities they suffer. I was initially surprised of their lack of knowledge about the incidence of hypertension in their own racial group. I do my best to educate them about their disease process and I find they are very appreciative and often really want to try to take care of themselves. Thanks for sharing this information.