I am an African American. The diabetes chart shows a significant disparity across different races in the United States. Several factors, such as health-related factors, demographics, and socioeconomic factors, influence the different levels of prevalence of diabetes across other races and ethnicities. One of the more significant contributing factors is the different socioeconomic status. Individuals with lower disposable income may find it challenging to access quality healthcare, resources, or education that would enable them to live healthy lifestyles (Johns Hopkins Medicine. 2017, April 18). As a result, such individuals are at a greater risk of diabetes. In the United States, African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and other minority groups have limited disposable income, which is reflected in their high prevalence of diabetes compared to non-Hispanic whites. Secondly, the ease of access to quality health is another contributor to the prevalence of diabetes. Individuals who find it challenging to access well-equipped healthcare facilities, experience transportation challenges or have limited health insurance coverage have a higher chance of getting diabetes. While part of the above reasons may be due to limited financial resources, the government’s inability to offer good transportation and well-equipped healthcare facilities in some regions of the United States, such as those majorly populated by Latinos and African Americans, is also a reason which such areas have a higher prevalence to diabetes (Gaskin et al., 2014). Thirdly, genetics also plays a significant role in the prevalence of diabetes. Different racial and ethnic groups have different degrees of susceptibility to the disease. Fourthly, cultural practices and beliefs about physical activities and dietary practices also significantly influence the prevalence of diabetes. For example, Latino’s cultural practices of consuming sweetened foods are among the leading contributors to diabetes in the ethnic group (Cheng et al., 2019). Lastly, poor education, particularly lack of health literacy, is a key contributor when it comes to diabetes prevalence. People with limited knowledge about healthy eating habits and measures to take to prevent one from getting the disease find it challenging to make informed decisions.
As an African American, the prevalence of diabetes in my ethnicity and race is caused by several factors. Firstly, poor socioeconomic status among African Americans has been a significant contributor to limited access to healthcare in the form of lack of proper health insurance, inability to purchase healthy foods, and the lack of opportunity to partake in physical activities such as gym memberships (Signorello et al., 2007). Secondly, most African American communities experience health system challenges majorly contributed by federal and state-sponsored implicit biases, poor representation among health providers, and cultural insensitivity. This has significantly lowered the quality of health service delivery in black-majority communities, increasing their prevalence of diabetes (WebsEdgeMedicine. 2018, June 23). There is also the disparity in healthcare access in such communities, whereby African American majority states have limited availability of healthcare services and resources and lack of diabetes preventive care units and management programs, which has greatly contributed to the prevalence of diabetes. Thirdly, genetic factors have also promoted the prevalence of diabetes among African Americans. Studies show that African Americans are more susceptible to insulin resistance and diabetes type two compared to other races (Ng, 2015). Lastly, cultural factors surrounding diet, physical activity, and lifestyle are a great contributor to the prevalence of diabetes among African Americans. Traditional African American diets are full of sugars and unhealthy fats that increase their risks of developing diabetes.
To reduce the risk of new diabetes cases among African Americans, the following measures should be taken. Firstly, a wide scale of community-based health programs should focus on educating African Americans on better lifestyles and preventive measures against the disease. Such educational approaches should be tailored specifically to meet African Americans’ socioeconomic and cultural context for them to be effective (Sims et al., 2011). Such community-based health programs should include nutrition education, physical activity education, and diabetes preventive initiatives. Secondly, there should be an immediate improvement in access to quality healthcare within African American communities. The federal government needs to stop prioritizing non-Hispanic white settlements when it comes to improving access and quality of health. They should instead enhance access to quality healthcare among African American communities that for years now have always stayed a step behind. Such quality healthcare initiatives should focus on preventing and managing diabetes through better equipping the available healthcare facilities, expanding the availability of affordable healthcare, addressing systemic problems founded on racial discrimination and bias, and improving access to health insurance coverage. Improve in access to healthcare can also be boosted if there is an increase in African American representation among healthcare professionals in such regions as they are well versed with the customs and traditions and will help build trust with the locals to help curb the prevalence of diabetes.
References
Gaskin, D. J., Thorpe Jr, R. J., McGinty, E. E., Bower, K., Rohde, C., Young, J. H., … & Dubay, L. (2014). Disparities in diabetes: the nexus of race, poverty, and place. American journal of public health, 104(11), 2147-2155.
Cheng, Y. J., Kanaya, A. M., Araneta, M. R. G., Saydah, S. H., Kahn, H. S., Gregg, E. W., … & Imperatore, G. (2019). Prevalence of diabetes by race and ethnicity in the United States, 2011-2016. Jama, 322(24), 2389-2398.
Ng, M. C. (2015). Genetics of type 2 diabetes in African Americans. Current diabetes reports, 15, 1-8.
Signorello, L. B., Schlundt, D. G., Cohen, S. S., Steinwandel, M. D., Buchowski, M. S., McLaughlin, J. K., & Blot, W. J. (2007). Comparing diabetes prevalence between African Americans and Whites of similar socioeconomic status. American journal of public health, 97(12), 2260-2267.
Sims, M., Roux, A. V. D., Boykin, S., Sarpong, D., Gebreab, S. Y., Wyatt, S. B., & Taylor, H. A. (2011). The socioeconomic gradient of diabetes prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study. Annals of Epidemiology, 21(12), 892-898.
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2017, April 18). Minority health disparities: Michelle’s story. YouTube. https://youtu.be/vlVZKZNXYBA
WebsEdgeMedicine. (2018, June 23). Epidemiological insight in diabetes disparities – Ada 2018. YouTube. https://youtu.be/pUOY_7cRqHs
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