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Why are African Americans so vulnerable to
cancer?
By Jean F. Gibbs
According to a 1998 report by the American Cancer Society,
NCI, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. cancer incidence
and death rates, for all cancers combined and for most of the leading cancer
sites, declined by 0.7% and 0.5% respectively between 1990 and 1995, reversing
a nearly 20-year trend of increasing incidence and death rates.
Yet, cancer continues to disproportionately affect blacks.
Why do African Americans get cancer more often, and why are they more likely
to die from it?
According to surveys done by health professionals who have
worked with the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer (sponsored by
the Morehouse School of Medicine and the National Cancer Institute), many
African Americans are not aware of the major warning signs of cancer.
In addition, African Americans are less likely to
participate in screening programs capable of detecting early curable
cancers. This non participation is often seen in the poor and uninsured
communities. For example, fewer black women -- as compared with white
women -- have an annual Pap
smear, and as a result twice as many black women die of cervical cancer than
whites. This is also true for prostate cancer in African American
men despite the existence of the screening test known as PSA, which may help
in the early detection of the disease.
Less nutritious diet and limited access to health care due
to a low income have been blamed by many health experts as causes of cancer in
African Americans. This low income may also means less access to
information. Now that the Internet is considered as a very important
source of information about
health, diseases and healthy lifestyles, only 23.5% of the African American
population had Internet access at home in 2000 while white households
accounted for 46.1% during the same year ( Numbers from : U.S. Dept. of
Commerce's National Telecommunication and Information Administration).
African Americans are exposed to more cancer causing agents
(carcinogens) than whites are. For example, more than half of blacks
live within the boundaries of polluted cities, and many live close to major
expressways, in industrial areas or close to toxic dump sites.
As it relates to occupational hazards or cancer-causing
jobs, African Americans seem to carry the burden. Generally speaking, a
significant proportion of blacks have always held the most toxically dangerous
industrial jobs, which expose them to unusually high amounts of carcinogens.
To a significant degree, cancer is related to an
individual's eating, drinking, smoking habits, and lifestyle. Health
experts believe that about 35% of cancer death can be related to foods that we
consume: high-fat diets, or diet with too little fiber. And obesity is
believed to increase both breast and cervical cancers.
In dealing with the problem of cancer in African Americans,
public health experts need to take into account the
various factors mentioned earlier. But as individuals, we should try all
the times to reduce our risk of getting cancer by avoiding those factors known
to cause cancer. We also need to protect ourselves according to
established norms if we believe our jobs constitute a risk to our health and
well-being.
(Reviewed by Carl Gilbert, M.D.)
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