I am so excited to welcome you to my introductory blog post!! Yippee! I have a deep passion for black women to overcome years’ long barriers to having amazing health. Furthermore, I hope to empower us with current knowledge from great health professionals and well-researched health topics to help make informed decisions in improving our general health. As we get on together you will find out my love for numbers through which we will be able to clearly see the stark reality of black women’s health living in the western world and Africa
Let’s start with the health disparities between black women and their white counterparts: According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention black women carry the immense burden of maternal, infant mortality, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. Although women generally outlive men, white women have a higher life expectancy at birth more than their Black counterparts by 5.2 years.
Let’s discuss some of these disparities:
- White women have a higher rate of breast cancer than blacks but are less likely to die from its complications i.e. a black woman is more likely to die from breast cancer compared to her white counterpart. This is partly due to Black women being more likely to have advanced cancer at the time of diagnosis than their white peers. In my years of clinical practice and up till now, I have observed more white women coming in to discuss their breast health and double-check the tiniest of changes, which may partly explain the early diagnosis and more reported breast cancer incidences in this ethnic group. However, there are various other reasons for this disparity, stay with me as we keep exploring.
- Regarding diabetes, both male and female Blacks are more likely than their white counterparts to develop complications of the disease which can include blindness, limb amputation, developing end-stage kidney disease, and eventually die as a result of the disease. The same trend is seen in hypertension (high blood pressure) which is more strongly associated with the development of renal disease for blacks more than for whites.
- The risk of maternal deaths during pregnancy is seven times higher in black women than their white British-born counterparts,
- The rates of chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV have been estimated to be 8 times, and gonorrhea 18 times higher among blacks than whites.
Why and why I guess some of you are asking?! There are a few reasons I have observed and I believe so many women will relate with:
- Black women are more likely to experience discrimination.
- They are more likely to be exposed to stressful situations and live under adverse conditions.
- For the black women living in the western world, stressful situations can include, working extra hard to be successful in their education and careers, while trying to raise a family. The same applies to those currently living in Africa, where the system has been set up to bring about stress.
It is of no wonder why our health has taken the back seat considering all the other things we are contending with. Hence, the reason I will like to work closely with us all to bring us to the forefront.
Thank you for taking the time out to read my introductory post, I will really love to hear back from you kindly leave your feedback in the comment section below.
Remember your body is amazing and you are made to live healthily, my Ebony Woman, much love.
