Health Promotion in African Americans

Health Promotion in African Americans
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Health Promotion in African Americans
African American is the ethnic minority group that an individual has selected. Indeed, the population of people in this group has been gradually increasing. In 2019, around 46.8 million individuals self-identified as African Americans, making up approximately 14% of the entire population in the United States of America (USA) (Tamir, Budiman, Noe-Bustamante, & Mora, 2021). Currently, the health status of black people in the USA has been improving and the majority of them lead long and healthy lives. For over the last two decades, the death of African Americans aged 65 years and above has declined by about 25% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Young individuals from this ethnic minority are leading healthy lives, but the rate at which they are affected by health conditions found in older white Americans has not decreased significantly. Race and ethnicity remain primary factors that influence the health of African Americans. These inequalities in the USA’s healthcare system have significantly affected black people since they contribute to gaps in uneven access to medical services, poor health outcomes, and the lack of health insurance coverage among other things.
When compared to the national average, African Americans receive the least healthcare services in the USA. For instance, in 2017, about 10.6% of black individuals were not insured compared with around 5.9% of uninsured non-Hispanic whites (Carratala & Maxwell, 2020). In the same year, 93.7% of white Americans had access to healthcare as opposed to 89.4% of African Americans. Approximately 12.1% of black individuals below the age of 65 years had no health insurance in 2017. Those who reported poor health were 13.8% compared to 8.3% of non-Hispanic whites. In particular, 80% of African Americans were obese or overweight in 2017, compared with 64.8% of their white women counterparts. When it comes to mental health, only 8.7% of black adults received these medical services as opposed to 18.6% of their non-Hispanic white adults (Carratala & Maxwell, 2020). As such, the health status of African Americans in the USA is below that of the national average.
When compared to their white counterparts, African Americans have significant health disparities. For instance, based on the Office of Minority Health, a subdivision of the Department of Health and Human Services, black individuals have a higher risk for diabetes, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), stroke, asthma, stroke, hypertension, cancer, and heart diseases (Jones et al., 2022). Nutritional challenges contribute to the magnitude of health disparities encountered by African Americans. For example, a significant portion of black individuals cannot afford nutritious meals daily due to poverty. Older African Americans significantly suffer from dietary problems, particularly if they do not have individuals to look after them. As a result, the nutritional challenges deteriorate the health status of black people, especially those who become ill and cannot afford a healthy diet to nourish their bodies.<...