1. African American Health is important to study because the different types of chronic illnesses are important to learn about. We can get a better understanding of what the cause might be of these different types of illnesses and medical conditions. We can learn the backgrounds of where these illnesses and medical conditions started from. It will give us a basic idea of different medical conditions that is very common in our culture.
2. It is important to study African American health because, Life expectancy at birth has historically been shorter for African American than other American, but the differences disappear or reverse themselves at older ages, creating the "Crossover Phenomenon". The leading causes of death among African American age 25 and over are: Heart Disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and Pneumonia/ Influenza (Kramerow et al., 1999).
All ethnic populations are prone disproportionately to some conditions rather than others in comparison to other ethnic groups. The causes for this are multiple and include ethnicity, culture, education, income, and barriers encountered when accessing health care. Cultural differences regarding diet and exercise may combine to predispose individuals to some of these conditions. For African Americans, these conditions includes: Hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, end stage renal disease, dementia, diabetes, and certain cancers (Mouton, 1997).