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Socio-Economic Factors Influencing the Health Status of Black Americans

Although the health status of Americans has improved, particularly decreases in incidence and prevalence rates of diseases, these improvements are not consistent and equally distributed within all population groups — particularly black Americans. To describe the relative differences, an analytical procedure of calculating the differential deficit ratio (DDR) was developed. It was observed that for males the death rate from all causes increased in 1950 from a .426 to a .473 DDR or 47.3 percent in 1982 with black males dying at a much higher rate than white males. For females there was a closing of the gap. In 1950 the rate was .703, higher in black females than white females, but in 1982 the ratio was .431. These trends were also observed for deaths due to heart disease, cerebrovascular, malignant neoplasms, diabetes mellitus, pneumonia and influenza and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. An epidemic in homicide exists among black males. The rate among black Americans is more than 5 times higher than among white. Infant mortality DDR in 1950 was .638 and in 1982 it was .949, the highest in more than 32 years. Also the infant mortality rate among blacks was higher than in any other ethnic or racial group. Indices show that there is a direct correlation between level of poverty, income level, education and infant mortality. Future directions indicate a need for overall change in the health care system, re-education for the consuming public, rebasing health care in the community and correlating health care with other social problems which impact on health.