Running head: VULNERABLE POPULATION 1
Vulnerable Population: African Americans
LaToya Parks
Jacksonville State University
VULNERABLE POPULATION 2
Vulnerable Population
There are many illnesses that affect various communities in the United States. The African American community tend to top majority of the lists of communities that are most affected. Hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and stroke are some of the most serious health problems that have a drastic effect on the African American community.
The widespread of high blood pressure in African Americans in the United States is among the highest in the world. More than 40% of non-Hispanic African Americans men and women have high blood pressure (American Heart Association, 2016). African Americans tend to develop hypertension earlier in life and its more severe.
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Blacks with diabetes are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to develop diabetes and experience greater disabilities from diabetes related complications such as amputations, adult blindness, kidney failure, and increased risk of heart disease and stroke (American Diabetes Association, 2014). One of the goals for Healthy People 2020 is to decrease the incidence of diabetes and improve the quality of life for all people who have diabetes, or at risk for it (Healthy People
As early as the 1800s clinicians began to take a closer look at elevated blood pressure levels, they soon found high correlation between hypertension, stroke, and other heart diseases. They also established that high levels of blood pressure effected both privilege and underprivileged, and within the years they have noted the disease have become more prevalent in the African American culture. Long term studies, such as randomized controlled trial studies, unveiled
Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2 diabetes/adult onset diabetes) is an epidemic in American Indian and Alaska Natives communities.7 AI/AN have the highest morbidity and mortality rates in the United States.7 American Indian/Alaska Native adults are 2.3 more times likely to be diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus than non-Hispanic Whites.7 More importantly, AI/AN adolescent ages 10-14 are 9 times likely to be diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus than non-Hispanic Whites.7 Type 2 diabetes is high blood glucose levels due to lack of insulin and/or inability to use it efficiently.8 Type 2 diabetes usually affects older adults; 8 however, the incident rate is rising quicker amongst AI/AN youth than non-Hispanic Whites.7 This is foreshadowing of earlier serious complications that will be effecting the AI/AN communitie...
Sharpe, D. A Culturally Targeted Self-Management Program for African Americans with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. (2012, December 15). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
If we were to apply a longitude exposure study over the span of 42 years from the time an inner-city child is born, we may conclude that life experiences resulting from potential malnutrition, underprivileged environments, and overall lack of health education are the leading contributors to adult African American deaths. Studies show that 8 of the 10 leading causes in the deaths of African Americans are medical disease, which with proper education and care may have been prevented and/or addressed earlier in their life to diagnose and treat. The fact is Heart Disease is the leading cause of deaths for African Americans. When compared to other ethnicities, some form of heart disease causes 24.5% of African American deaths. These numbers are astounding considering Blacks make up approximately only 14.2% of the total U.S. population. The contributing factor is lack of knowledge and family medical screening. Understanding the history of your genial line specific to your race and ...
Rajaram, S. S., Vinson, V. (1998). African american women and diabetes: a sociocultural context. Journal of Health Care for the Poor & Underserved, 9(3), 236-247.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2012), the diabetes rate has more than tripled since 1980 from about 5.6 million people affected, to nearly 21 million people. And, of the 2.9 million Native Americans, approximately 16% have been afflicted with type-2 diabetes (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). These rates were more than twice the rates for the white population and strongly correlated with income level. One factor that is believed to have contributed to the high rates of non-insulin-dependent diabetes is dietary changes from traditional foods to processed foods (Reinhard et al., 2012).
Studies have analyzed how African Americans deal with an enormous amount of disease, injury, death, and disability compared to other ethnic group, and whites, Utilization of health services by African Americans is less frequent than other ethnic groups in the country. This non utilization of services contributes to health disparities amongst African Americans in the United States. Current and past studies have shown that because of discrimination, medical mistrust, racial/ethnic background, and poor communication African Americans tend to not seek medical care unless they are in dire need or forced to seek professional care. African Americans would rather self –medicate than to trust a doctor who might show some type of discriminatory
McBean, A. M., Li, S., Gilbertson, D. T., & Collins, A. J. (2004). Differences in diabetes prevalence, incidence, and mortality among the elderly of four racial/ethnic groups: whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians. Diabetes care, 27(10), 2317-2324.
The African American have certain support groups such as the N.A.A.C.P., Domestic Violence support Groups, Kinship Care and many church groups whom have food banks and shelter services. There is a continuing struggle to end poverty within the African American Communities.
For these reasons, minorities often put off the expense of seeing a doctor until they have advanced disease and are past being easily treated. A lack of education, rural or inner city residence, unemployment, and low literacy rate may also contribute to higher cancer mortality rates for some communities. In several studies researchers investigates whether socioeconomic status is the reason for the disparity in prostate cancer incidence, where African Americans and Non- Hispanic Whites are the top two candidates for prostate cancer. Some results found that the highest level of cancer incidence was positively correlated with low socioeconomic status (Cheng, et al.,
"Hispanics have more deaths from diabetes and chronic liver disease than whites, and similar numbers of deaths from kidney disease" (CDC, 2015). Even though the percentage of Hispanics suffering from high blood pressure is 17% in comparison to 20% of whites. Hispanics are 68% who suffer from poorly controlled high blood pressure compared to whites which are 54%. Health risks may vary among Hispanic subgroups and whether they are US born or not. Lower death rate is suffered by the Hispanic than whites.
Many Americans have health problems. Many of these Americans are African Americans. This is because African Americans are not aware of the health conditions that come from the things that they eat. If we were to sit down and jot down every food that we consume, we will notice that we are at risk. By the time we find out, it is already too late. Our body has already taken in so much and is barely making it.
African Americans face a multidimensional health care crisis that affects the young or old, rich or poor. Too many African Americans are uninsured or underinsured. The elderly cannot afford long-term health care leaving the family to care for them. Health care cost is constantly rising and are out of control, reform is the only way out.
Many of the people impacted by health disparities are minorities who represent 34.5% of the U.S population according to the 2010 U.S Census Bureau estimate. Despite the high population of minorities, some minority groups like Blacks American, American Indians and Alaska Natives had been reported to have poor health outcomes due to the health barriers and biases (Artiga, 2016). Blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives have a higher prevalence of asthma, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease than the general population of people with these conditions.
For my cultural interview, I decided to interview an African American male of age 49, who is suffering from chronic diabetes mellitus. This disorder has caused a significant