Sex, health, happiness and wealth...you know you want it! And there's no better time than now for having it all and "gettin' it good!"
For the next few posts I will give a series of tips to help you get 2012 off to a good start. In this--part one--I'm sharing a few statistics about Black women's health, to increase your awareness of the state of Black women's health and how Black women compare to other women in our society. As you read, remember that the health goal for 2012 isn't to be like other women; the goal is to be healthier Black women.
Some might ask what makes Black women's health in need of special attention or discussion. The answer is easy: Because there are major differences in health care outcomes, as you'll see below.
According to the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Women's Health report, Blacks comprise approximately 12 percent of the American population. But as medicine advances and technology and research afford healthier outcomes, and increased longevity, for most Americans, Blacks--especially Black women--still face a disproportionate rate of morbidity and mortality.
Despite technological advances; and even for those with insurance, education and medical access, Black women still carry the highest incidence and worst prognosis for many killer diseases. These include cancer deaths, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and infant mortality, with a rate over twice that of Whites and Hispanics.
The full list is in Living Well, Despite Catchin' Hell: The Black Woman's Guide to Health, Sex and Happiness; but for now--here--I'll share just a few stats re: Black women's health:
BLACK WOMEN'S HEALTH IN FOCUS:
• Have 5 years of potential life loss (YPLL), compared to White women;
• Have a 50 percent greater risk of dying from a stroke than women of other ethnicities;
• Are more overweight and obese than other women: Over 50 percent are overweight and 31 percent are obese;
• Have a 38 percent greater risk of suffering a heart attack than White women;
• Suffer from diabetes at a rate four times that of White women;
• Are diagnosed with breast cancer at a rate far less than White women, but have the highest rate of breast cancer deaths;
• Have a rate of 13.2 infant deaths (per 1,000 live births); White women? 5.7 percent and Asians, 4.7 percent.
• Have three times the rate of uterine fibroid tumors, compared to White women. Fibroids are the number one reason for hysterectomies;
• Have a higher incidence of asthma, lupus, Sarcoidosis, hypertension and cancer deaths.
These statistics need to change; the ship can be turned around. Your family's medical history of diabetes, obesity, hypertension and cancer deaths can change...beginning with you!
As a physician and surgeon specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, I have counseled, examined, treated and operated on thousands of women of many colors--Black, White, Hispanic, and every ethnicity in-between. As a result of my experience, I can say with reasonable certainty that the normal human female, regardless of race, is the same anatomically (structure) and physiologically (function). Her hair may be a different texture and her skin a different tone, but the inner workings are all the same, when normal.
So, if structure and function are the same, why is the outcome terribly different in many cases? Why do Black women still carry a poorer prognosis and higher mortality rate for many conditions that others are readily cured of in significant numbers?
While some causal factors are genetic, other outcomes can be greatly improved if Black women apply the same discipline to their physical health as they often do their spiritual health. Surely those who will be in church all week long, every week of the year, can take one day of the year to get their preventive medical checkup, Pap smear and mammogram. Black women can stop dying from diseases others increasingly survive.
Subscribe to this blog now so you don't miss any of the upcoming posts that will get you motivated to jumpstart your goals this year. Tell your friends to do the same and together let the journey begin to Living Well in 2012! Stay tuned. Part Two coming in a few days.
To all...Be Healthy, Be Blessed... and make sure you are Living Well, Despite Catchin' Hell, the first book in eight years addressing Black women's health! Foreword by Pauletta Washington, musician and wife of Academy Award winner, Denzel Washington, and endorsed by psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere and others. [Get it now. It makes a great 'new year, new you' health guide]. The book includes current comparative data for Black, White, Hispanic, Asian and Native American women. Support books about you: "Like it" on Amazon.
Copyright © 2012 Dr. Melody T. McCloud. All rights reserved. Any excerpts reproduced from this article should include a hyperlink to this--my original post on Psychology Today, with author credit. Feel free to post the link to this, and any of my PT posts, to your social network pages. Follow me here at PT (mostly); and now (I'm finally joining the fray) on Twitter: @DrMelodyMcCloud.
