African-Americans

Demographers can use average life expectancy of a population as a clue to underlying changes in health and culture.

Life Expectancy Drops For White Women, Increases For Black Men

9:50am April 20, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Suicide, drug abuse and alcohol have started to shorten the lives of white women, a U.S. report on data from 2013 to 2014 suggests. Life-expectancy for many black men went up from 71.8 years to 72.2.

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Unemployment May Be Dropping, But It's Still Twice As High For Blacks

8:31pm February 05, 2016

by Sonari Glinton

The jobless rate fell is at an eight-year low, the government reported today. But for blacks, the rate is still 8.8 percent — a bit lower than worst unemployment whites experienced in the recession.

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Preventable Colon Cancer Deaths Cost The Economy $6.4 Billion

5:32pm November 13, 2015

by Nancy Shute

People in lower-income communities are more likely to die of colon cancer, often because they don't get diagnosed early enough. Those premature deaths take a financial toll, too.

Diana Venegas, a nursing student at Samuel Merritt University, in Oakland, Calif., takes a patient's blood pressure at a recent health fair at Allen Temple Baptist Church.

A Push In California To Train More Latino And Black Nurses

12:02pm November 13, 2015

by Adizah Eghan

Though 39 percent of the state's population is Latino, only 8 percent of its nurses are. Health officials are looking to reduce health disparities by increasing diversity among health professionals.

For decades, black women faced lower risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer than did white women.

Black Women's Breast Cancer Risk Rises To Equal White Women's

10:47am October 29, 2015

by Nancy Shute

African-American women's advantage in avoiding breast cancer has evaporated, with their rates rising to match white women's. Higher obesity rates, a risk factor for breast cancer, may be one reason.

"He wasn't raised where health was an issue in the household. There was nobody talkin' about health, probably nobody talking about not smoking or drinking or unhealthy practices, what it could lead to. There was nobody talkin' about that."

Let Me Show You What Keeps Me From Being Healthy

8:43am October 05, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

Residents of North Carolina's "stroke belt" headed out with cameras to document why the area is notorious for high rates of heart disease and stroke. They aim to come up with community solutions.

Obesity Maps Put Racial Differences On Stark Display

3:34pm September 25, 2015

by Jane Greenhalgh

Obesity, with all its dire health consequences, is hitting some ethnic groups harder than others. Environment plays a big role. And it affects not just individual health, but the health costs of all.

African-American women may be more sensitive to metabolic abnormalities like high triglycerides or low good cholesterol.

Heart Risk Factors May Affect Black Women More Than White Women

11:31am May 21, 2015

by Nancy Shute

Black women are more likely to have heart disease with just a few metabolic risk factors, a study finds. That's not the case for white women. Being obese seems to affect black women more, too.

Val James of the Toronto Maple Leafs takes warmup prior to a preseason game against the Boston Bruins at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1986.

As First Black American NHL Player, Enforcer Was Defenseless Against Racism

10:03am February 27, 2015

by David Sommerstein

Val James became the first American-born black player in the NHL in 1982. He faced vicious racism, including fans throwing bananas on the ice. After 30 years in silence, he is talking about it now.

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Wendell Scott, pictured here in 1969, is the first â and only â black man to win a race in NASCAR's top series.

NASCAR Hall-Of-Famer Helped Open The Track For Black Drivers

12:36pm February 22, 2015

by Michael Tomsic

In 1963, Wendell Scott became the first African-American to win a race in NASCAR's top division. No other black driver has won a top NASCAR race since, but the sport is starting to diversify.

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