The Health Status of African Americans in Allegheny County-A Black Paper for the Urban League of Pittsburgh

Abstract

This report examines the health conditions of African Americans in Allegheny County (hereafter referred to as “the 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 the County. It is an important initial step towards achieving the Healthy People 2010 goal of eliminating racial/ethnic health status disparities in the County.