title: The health status of African-American elderly.
abstract: This article reviews the health status of African-American elderly, based on a computerized search of the medical literature from 1987 to 1991, as well as careful review of the report of the Secretary of Health's Task Force on Black and Minority Health. Black Americans have a higher prevalence of malignancies, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, homicide, and unintentional injury than white Americans. These problems contribute to a high mortality rate in young blacks and a greater prevalence of problems with activities of daily living in elderly blacks. Despite the high disease burden among young blacks, blacks are living progressively longer. As the number of elderly blacks increases, health-care practitioners will need to increase risk factor reduction in young-old blacks. Additionally, there will be a need for increased support of physical functioning in elderly African American.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma Memorial Hospital, Oklahoma City 73190.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bernard
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D009026:Mortality; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data