Diabetes mellitus is currently considered as one of the most deleterious health problems in society, affecting approximately 30 million African Americans. Approximately 15 years ago, it has been estimated that approximately 1.3 million African Americans were diagnosed with diabetes. This value has been determined to be three times the size of African Americans who were suffering from diabetes in the 1960’s.
Concern has been expressed over the estimate because it is assumed that the number of cases is an underestimate since most of the actual cases of diabetes go undiagnosed. Research surveys have determined that for every white American who is diagnosed with diabetes, approximately 1.6 African Americans suffer from diabetes. The ratio has been described that one in four African American women of at least 55 years of age, suffers from diabetes. As an African American woman ages, she increases her chances of developing diabetes, specifically within the age range of 65 and 74 years old.
One community health need is the access to diagnostic tests to diabetes among African American women. The National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) has indicated that African American women generally develop diabetes type 2 which is the non-insulin-dependent form of diabetes.
This type of diabetes ensues when an African American woman reaches the age of 40. Only a small number of African American women develop diabetes type I, which is the insulin-dependent form of endocrinological disorder. It has been currently defined that diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death among African American women of the age range 45 to 64. Among older African American women of age 65 and above, diabetes stands as the third leading cause of death in this population (Black et al., 1999).
The Essay on African Women And Developement
V.P. Epps-Sophomore Core The women of Africa have endured the systematic oppression of their development for countless of years due to elements in cultural, political and, historical events. Long before British-colonial occupation and the slave trade, the male dominated African tribal culture adhered to many oppressive yet accepted and structured forms of role categorization of women in African ...
Reference
Black SA, Jakobi PL, Rush RD, DiNuzzo AR, Garcia D (1999): Ethnic variation in the health burden of self-reported diabetes in adults aged 75 and older. Ethn. Dis. 9(1):22-32.
