Recent studies show that mortality rates, or death rates, are rising again for Black men and women.
What Are Mortality Rates?
Mortality rates tell us how many people from a certain group of people die from a specific cause or disease. For example, we can look at the number of deaths from heart disease or cancer to see how seriously these health issues are affecting different communities.
What Did the Studies Find?
Researchers looked at the death rates of Black people compared to White people from 1999 to 2020. They found that, early on, the gap in death rates between white and Black people was shrinking. This was good news and meant that Black people were experiencing fewer deaths from certain diseases. In fact, between 1999 and the early 2010s, the number of deaths from major causes like cancer and heart disease decreased for Black men and women. Black women saw a 5.7% decrease in death rates from 1999 to 2015, and Black men saw a 5.2% decrease from 1999 to 2011.
However, from 2012 to 2019, death rates began to rise again for both Black men and women. This increase in deaths was mainly due to accidents, heart disease, and other serious health issues. In 2020 the number of deaths for Black men and women jumped back to levels not seen since the late 1990s. The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for a large part of this increase, accounting for about 46% of the rise in deaths among Black women and 43% among Black men.
Wake Up Call
These findings are a wake-up call. While we have made some progress in improving health in the Black community, we still have a long way to go. Reversing this trend first requires understanding the reasons for increases in accidents, heart disease, and other causes that are pushing up death rates.
What Can You Do?
Join us in the fight! Living Well Black is committed to improving our health. We are here to fight for better healthcare, better access to doctors, and more support for those struggling with health issues in the Black community. As an organization dedicated to improving health equity, we take action by:
– Raising Awareness: Educating our community about risks our health as the first step toward change.
– Advocating for Better Healthcare: Working to push for policies that ensure everyone has access to quality healthcare and important health information.
– Supporting Healthy Lifestyles: Encouraging healthy habits, like exercise and good nutrition, which can help reduce the risk of diseases.
You can be part of this change! Whether by spreading the word, following us on social media, volunteering, or supporting our work, together we can help close the gap. We are working towards a future where we are all empowered to make health decisions that lead us to a long and healthy life!