cancer health disparity
Many population groups across the United States and around the world suffer disproportionately from cancer and its after-effects. Overcoming cancer health disparities is one of the best opportunities we have for lessening the burden of cancer. The National Cancer Institute supports research to identify and understand the factors that contribute to disparities, and to develop and disseminate culturally appropriate interventions. The Cancer Research Program is committed to improving our understanding of the causes of disparities and reducing and eliminating them. We are dedicated to cancer research, training, education and community outreach. Currently this Program focuses on prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, oral cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer and cervical cancer.
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Detailed information of cancer disparities can be found at the following website of NCI. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/disparities
cardiovascular disease disparity
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease is highest among African American women (45%) and lowest among white females (32%) [1]. This may due to the higher prevalence of some of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease:
- 45 % of African American women have high blood pressure vs. 31% in Caucasian women
- 77% of African American women are overweight (body mass index > 25) vs. 57% Caucasiam women
- 19% of African American women are physically active vs. 32% of Caucasian women
- 13% of African American women have diabetes vs. 5% of Caucasian women
This translates to a death rate of 160* for African American women compared to 125 for Caucasian women. For more information about how you can prevent becoming one of these statistics visit the American Heart Association site below.
This site provides modules to teach about the facts about cardiovascular disease and things you can do to prevent it
(http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3041580).
Additionally, the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB) also provide a website on health information specifically targeting the African American population. Visit the site below for facts about high blood pressure in African Americans.
http://www.ishib.org/HI_index.asp
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1. *AHA: Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2006 update. Edited by. Dallas: American Heart Association; 2006.
neuroscience disparity
Research in the Neuroscience Research Program includes the study of diseases with health disparities issues. Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease which has been suggested to be more prevalent in African Americans and Hispanics, with the zebrafish system being used by BBRI researchers to model this disease. Research in this program also examines the signaling mechanisms used by endocannabinoid receptors, which is relevant to understanding the biological basis of drug abuse. Research examining the function of olfactomedin proteins in zebrafish development is relevant to health disparities research, as olfactomedin family members have been shown to contribute to glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness that disproportionately affects African Americans.