Criteria for the Inclusion and Exclusion
In this paper, the researcher chose African Americans as the group to focus on during this course. The criteria used for the inclusion were based on the level of health-related problems that the group faces. According to Finkelman, African Americans have a shorter life expectancy compared to European Americans (78). This is primarily because they are often affected adversely by a number of health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and HIV/AIDS. It would be important to have a critical analysis of the factors that put this population at greater health risks, and steps that can be taken by the Federal and state governments to address this problem.
The exclusion strategy was based on the quality of health that other populations have in this country. The different populations within the United States were ranked based on their life expectancy, the quality of health they receive, and general awareness about health-related issues. Countries with the highest score on these factors were given the least score in the rankings, while those that had the least were given the highest rankings. Those with low ranks in this criteria used were excluded from the study.
General Information about African Americans
At this stage, it will be necessary to have general information about African Americans in order to understand what makes them unique when it comes to issues related to their health.
Demographics
In the first United States Census of 1790, African Americans numbered 760,000, accounting for about 19.3% of the total American population. The number of African Americans in the United States has been on the rise since then, but their percentage of the total population dropped. In 1990, it was estimated that African Americans were about 8.8 million people, most of who lived in the South. Currently, it is estimated that there are over 42 million African Americans in the United States (Alcena 52).
Socioeconomics
According to Gourdine, African Americans have a history of slavery (31). Most of their ancestors were forcefully brought to the American continent as slaves. After independence, the subsequent government did very little to offer them an opportunity in education and in other sectors of the economy. Discrimination common in this country since independence further denied them the opportunity to achieve economic and social success. Currently, they make the poorest and least educated group in the country.
Health risk factors
The life expectancy of African American men is 70.8 while that of African American women is 77.5 (Walker 62). Their life expectancy is below the America’s average life expectancy for men and women. Cases of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes are confirmed to be higher among the African American population than other groups in this country. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is also high among this group. Recent studies have also shown that cases of homicide are more common among African Americans (Quaye 84). All these health problems make this population to have a higher mortality rate than the rest of the American population.
Environmental hazards
According to Gates and Yacovone, African Americans face a number of environmental hazards (113). They make the majority of people living in informal settlements in major cities in the country. Some of the Black neighborhoods have high cases of crime, outbreak of diseases, instances of rape, mob attacks, accidents due to poor infrastructure, among other problems which put their lives at risk.
Works Cited
Alcena, Valiere. African Americans and Medical Diseases: An American Health Care Crisis That Is Crying for Help and Actions. Pittsburgh: Rose Dog Books, 2015. Print.
Finkelman, Paul. Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-First Century. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
Gates, Henry, and Donald Yacovone. The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. Carlsbad: Smiley Books, 2013. Print.
Gourdine, Michelle. Reclaiming Our Health: A Guide to African American Wellness. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011. Print.
Quaye, Randolph. African Americans’ Health Care Practices, Perspectives, and Needs. Lanham: University Press of America, 2005. Print.
Walker, Richard. African-American Healthy: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Health. Garden City Park: Square One Publishers, 2011. Print.