THE HEALTH STATUS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY: A BLACK PAPER FOR THE URBAN LEAGUE OF PITTSBURGH (Executive Summary)

Abstract

National health policy in the past has set different health goals for different racial/ethnic groups. However, with the release of Healthy People 2010 by the US Public Health Service, all races/ethnicities in the nation share the same health status goals. One of the primary goals of Healthy People 2010 is to eliminate all racial/ethnic disparities in health by 2010. This report examines the health conditions of African Americans in Allegheny County. It documents the leading causes of death of black men and women, infant mortality, rates of firearm injuries and fatalities, and rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The data reported serves to benchmark the current health status of African Americans and, by way of comparison, whites in Allegheny County. It is an important initial step towards achieving the Healthy People 2010 goal of eliminating racial/ethnic health status disparities in Allegheny County.