Lifecourse Trajectories of Health and Wellbeing for African American Males

Racial and ethnic disparities in health among the American people have been prevalent for as long as routine data has been collected. Throughout the 20th and early 21st century African Americans have had poorer health outcomes (compared to whites) from preventable and treatable conditions such as infant mortality, low birth weight, coronary artery disease, diabetes, asthma, cancer and HIV/AIDS. Heterogeneity in risk and causal factors for disease, access to health and social services, and socioeconomic factors all contribute in varying degrees to the disparities. Over the past 100 years, racial, ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic disparities for many conditions that contribute significantly to the burden of disease have increased as population health has improved. It would appear that the factors that are responsible for the disparities are not identical to the factors that are responsible for the overall burden of disease in any particular disparity group. Because disparities in health and access to health care place burdens on the healthcare system, eliminating them continues to be an important national goal. Health disparities for African American men are larger than for any other race-gender group in the United States. Many historical, social, economic, physical, and biological forces shape the health and life course of African American men and contribute to increased premature morbidity and mortality. We will explore disparities, focusing on African American men, in life expectancy, infant mortality and age-adjusted mortality across 100 years and use the analysis to explore foci of intervention.