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African American Health Center

Health Center"Every small positive change we can make in ourselves, repays us with confidence in the future."  --Alice Walker

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, African Americans make up about 12.9% of the U.S. population, or 36.4 million individuals.

Even though we comprise a relatively small percentage of the population, as a minority group African Americans often suffer a greater percentage of incidence of many of the leading health conditions in the United States. Why is this? One potential answer to that question is health disparities.

According to the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities a division of the National Institutes of Health, the concept of health disparities is defined as differences in the occurrence, death rate, and burden of health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States.


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:: Topics and Conditions

Knowing what risks to look out for will help you live a healthier life! Click on the following links for more information on:

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:: Ask an Expert

In the NetWellness article by Julia Gore Thornton, it states:

Emerging research also suggests that African Americans are more likely than Whites to have precancerous polyps and colon cancer in the proximal colon, which could potentially be misse ...

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Julia Gore Thornton, MD
NetWellness Expert
Julia Gore Thornton, MD
Case Western Reserve University

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:: Health Issues

Read specific articles on African American health. Articles are updated often, so keep your eyes open for new titles!

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:: NetWellness Poll

Which one of these is not a possible reason for the racial and ethnic disparities in health care?

Cultural and language barriers
Time limits imposed by a busy clinical practice
Distrust for the health care community
Shortage of minority physicians
Positive stereotypes about minorities, which affects the way health professionals provide care

Poll Results

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:: Hypertension and African Americans

Did you know that uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, vision problems and even death? According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, "African Americans are most likely to develop high blood pressure than any other racial or ethnic group." To learn more about high blood pressure and how to control it, please visit the following articles:
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