Race Vs Ethnicity

Race and ethnicity are two ways that society uses to classify groups of people. However, the classifications have their differences. Race can be defined as a grouping of people based on features such as hair type and skin color. On the other hand, ethnicity, groups people based on common linguistic and cultural background. According to the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC), African-Americans are the second largest minority group in the United States. From 2000-2010, there was an estimated 12% increase of 4 million African-Americans. Most African-Americans are clustered in the South (about 55%) and the top 3 states with the most blacks are: Florida, Texas, and New York. Interestingly enough, Detroit, Michigan has the largest proportion of …show more content…
For instance, Heart disease is the number 1 leading cause of death in the US, and blacks are 30 percent more likely to die of heart disease. The fact that blacks also tend to have higher blood pressure rates also contributes. Another alarming health issue is the fact that the OMH reports that four out of five black women are overweight or obese. I think a contributing factor is that different cultures have different ideals for what the “ideal woman” should look like. Many black cultures embrace thickness and many may not even feel like there is a problem with their weight because of it. Lastly, asthma rates are high among African-Americans and black children are 3x more likely to be admitted to the hospital for asthma when compared to non-Hispanic white …show more content…
Many public health officials are trying to create programs to help limit these trends. A program that I think is beneficial is the CDC’s “Sodium Reduction in Communities Program” because the United States consumes high rates of sodium on a daily basis. The program was initiated in a few different states but the one in Marion County, Indiana stood out to me. The program aims to lower sodium content in the food offered in community health centers and at Head Start sites. This helps to try and eliminate food deserts in the area, which would hopefully lower the high rates of obesity and its chronic related illnesses. In addition to this intervention, I would try and add cooking class workshops throughout the hospital to patients and their families learn of healthier ways to cook food. This aspect would help make the program even more sustainable because health requires effort outside of the hospital

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