While death rates among the African-American population have declined 25 percent from 1999 to 2015, major health disparities persist between blacks and whites, with the life expectancy of whites in the U.S. remaining four years higher than blacks, according to a new CDC Vital Signs report.
For the report, CDC researchers examined data compiled in the agency's surveillance database on behavioral risk factors, as well as data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Vital Statistics System.
Key findings from the report include:
• African-Americans aged 18 to 64 years carry a higher risk of premature death when compared to whites.
• Blacks aged 18 to 34 years and 35 to 49 years are nine times and five times, respectively, more likely to be murdered as whites in the same age groups.
• Blacks aged 35 to 64 years have a 50 percent higher chance of having high blood pressure than whites in the same age group.
• African-Americans aged 18 to 49 years are twice as likely to die of heart disease compared to their white peers.
"We have seen some remarkable improvements in death rates for the black population in these past 17 years. Important gaps are narrowing due to improvements in the health of the black population overall. However, we still have a long way to go," said Leandris Liburd, PhD, associate director of CDC's Office of Minority Health and Health Equity. "Early health interventions can lead to longer, healthier lives. In particular, diagnosing and treating the leading diseases that cause death at earlier stages is an important step for saving lives."
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