University releases new reports studying black health

The disparity between health status and the quality of life for Pittsburgh’s black and white… The disparity between health status and the quality of life for Pittsburgh’s black and white communities is nothing new, but three new reports documenting these inequalities may pave the way for community action, said Ralph Bangs, a research associate in Pitt’s University Center for Social and Urban Research.

“Problems in a community, especially racial problems, often go undocumented, and therefore unaddressed,” Bangs said in a press conference last Monday to announce the release of a new book titled “Black Papers on African American Health in Allegheny County.” He said health concerns for black people have gone unaddressed, in part because no one had documented these problems on paper.

Now, following the release of “Black Papers,” documented evidence of the health concerns affecting black people in Allegheny County is available to the public. The book is based on the research of principal investigators Bangs and Kenneth Thompson, an associate professor of psychology and a Soros Foundation Physician Advocate Fellow.

It includes three reports, titled “The Health Status of African Americans in Allegheny County,” “Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among African Americans in Allegheny County” and “Health Problems Among African American Women Ages 35-64 in Allegheny County.”

An important aspect of the report was that it used what Bangs called the “gold standard” of health research, the federal government’s “Healthy People 2010” goals. This report outlines minimum goals for black and white citizens in terms of major health indicators, such as infant death rates and life expectancy.

Infant death rates were a particularly telling statistic, said Thompson, not only because of the disparity in actual infant deaths – 20 deaths per 1000 births among black children, versus 6 to 7 deaths per 1000 births in white communities – but also because of the difference in goals for black versus white communities.

“In the past they would call for a reduction [of infant death] in the African American community,” Thompson said.

According to Thompson, this is no longer enough; the goal now is to end the disparity between black and white children.

“Whether it’s done on purpose or whether it’s done out of ignorance, the statistics in this books are deplorable,” said Tracey Conti, assistant professor in the department of family medicine in the school of medicine.

The reports found not only a disparity between health indicators such as infant death rates and life expectancy, but also a difference in health care access and living conditions of blacks versus whites in Allegheny County.

But another important factor is the lifestyle choices black people make, said Steven Thomas, Philip Hallen Professor of Community Health and Social Justice and director of Pitt’s Center for Minority Health. Much of Pittsburgh’s black population came from the South, he said, and they brought with them “a Southern way of cooking that we now know can kill you.”

Thomas also cited the way the tobacco industry has targeted the black community as customers.

“We can make a significant blow for progress between now and the year 2010 by zeroing in on reducing smoking,” he said.

Ultimately, Thomas said, change must come from the black community. He said that’s why current efforts to educate black people about health risks and to provide health care are focused on reaching out from churches and other community centers so individuals are hearing from people they trust.

“It doesn’t take a revolution,” Thomas said. But he added it does take an active effort to reduce the inequalities evidenced in “Black Papers.”

“How much more do you scientists need to know to see that we’re suffering every day?” Thomas said. “Do something now.”