[David]

Why are disease rates higher among blacks for life-threatening conditions such as diabetes, heart attacks, AIDS and cancer? Why is this always the case? Am I the only one who notices?

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Name : David, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 31, City : Cleveland, State : OH, Country : United States, Occupation : Computer Consultant, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Mandi]

You aren’t the only one who has noticed this. The reasons are simple and yet have such complex origins and implications: 1) some diseases are lifestyle induced. Blacks have more stress in their lives because of being marginalized members of society and the implications of this. 2) blacks are more likely to have poor diet and exercise habits because healthy habits are less often practiced in rural and poor areas, where many blacks have been relegated. 3) blacks are less likely to have adequate medical insurance and medical education because they have been historically denied educational opportunities that would lead to income levels/job statuses where these would be readily available.

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Name : Mandi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 21, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Steve27648]

Genetics. Lifestyle. Medical treatment. Not necessarily in that order. Some groups of people have genetic propensity for or against certain diseases, just as some diseases prefer one sex more than the other (like lupus.) The same genes that protect from malaria are at cause for sickle cell anemia. Some of the diseases you mention are clearly keyed to lifestyle, such as some cancers, AIDS and adult diabetes. The incidences of such diseases change when individuals or groups change the lifestyle patterns that make them susceptible. Race is irrelevent unless the lifestyle choices are more a part of one culture or another. Finally, decisions to seek treatment early and being able to get quality treatment early are key in some of the diseases you mention, such as cancer and heart disease. This would be tied to a group’s economic position, which clearly has a race factor – in America at least.

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Name : Steve27648, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 43, City : Houston, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Tish24629]

I don’t believe there is a genetic disposition to these diseases. The diseases you mentioned are lifestyle-influenced conditions. I’d guess that because black people are disproportionately represented in lower-income brackets, lack of access to doctors and health education may have something to do with it. In addition, stress is a big health risk that may predispose people to certain diseases (such as hypertension). And black people face a lot of stress directly and indirectly related to racism.

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Name : Tish24629, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, City : Newark, State : NJ, Country : United States, Occupation : Ph.D student, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[I-Cade21349]

high AIDS rates in the Black community are due to 1) Many men who have sex with men are DEEP in the closet because the black community is virulently homophobic. Blacks who are gay are accused of acting white, in addition to other negative comments. These men often have relationships, and even marry women. 2) Blacks are disproportionately incarcerated. With the exchange of fluids that happens during a rape or a fight, some men get HIV while inn prison and pass it on once they get out.

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Name : I-Cade21349, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 22, City : Los Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

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