Health

Measures of Physical Health

According to the 2003 National Health Interview Survey, fewer than 60 percent of African Americans rated their overall health as excellent or very good. This is comparable to the self-reports of Hispanics but lags far behind those of white Americans, of whom more than 70 percent assess their own health favorably.

Another global measure of health—mortality rates—confirms a lower overall health status among African Americans. The mortality rate for black Americans is almost half again as large as the rate for white Americans. Infant mortality, one more indicator of general health, is also significantly higher among African Americans than among whites.

When one turns to the rate of acute (short-term) health problems, one finds that African Americans are healthier in most respects than other Americans but much less so in others. For example, African Americans have lower rates of infectious diseases, respiratory illness, and injuries than the American population as a whole. However, they suffer considerably more than the average American from several specific conditions. Black children are almost half again as likely as other children to suffer common childhood illnesses. Blacks also show elevated levels [Page 407]of viral infection, skin conditions, and injuries such as sprains and contusions. They are also more than twice as likely as other Americans to suffer from nonmigraine headaches.

The situation is similar with respect to chronic (long-term) illness. African Americans have lower than average rates for most chronic conditions, but in some areas, they are considerably less healthy. For example, blacks have a lower rate of physical impairments such as blindness than most Americans, but they are almost 90 percent more likely to suffer from complete or partial paralysis. Their overall rate of heart disease is only about three-quarters as high as the average American, but they are more prone to hypertension (high blood pressure). Two chronic conditions of particular concern for African Americans are diabetes and anemia; blacks are significantly more likely to suffer from both of these diseases.

Certain cancers are also more prevalent among African Americans than among the population as a whole. A 1992 National Cancer Institute Study showed that the rate of cancer among black men is nearly 25 percent higher than that of white males. Cancer rates among African American females are lower than those for white females but more than 30 percent higher than for Hispanics. The most frequently diagnosed cancers for African American males were prostate and lung cancers. Among black females, breast, colon, and lung cancers are far more common than any other types.

...