African-American Media Resources
The needs of African-American journalists are often community-driven, just like the health issues facing African-Americans. CDC recognizes that you need quick access to credible information on how issues like HIV, diabetes, and obesity are affecting your readers. The African-American Media Resources page is designed to provide credible health information and helpful links for African-American media outlets, as well as mainstream media that reach audiences of color. Here you will find up-to-date story ideas with African-American readers in mind; biographies of African-American experts at CDC; and links to other sources of health information. You can also find free, ready-to-print articles on health issues affecting African Americans.
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African-American Women and Their Babies at a Higher Risk for Pregnancy and Birth Complications
Preterm, or premature, delivery is the most frequent cause of infant mortality, accounting for more than one third of all infant deaths during the first year of life. The infant mortality rate among black infants is 2.4 times higher than that of white infants, primarily due to preterm birth. In the United States, the risk of preterm birth for Non-Hispanic black women is approximately 1.5 times the rate seen in white women.
African-American Story Ideas
Know the facts: Black women die from breast cancer more often than whites
The rate of women getting or dying from breast cancer varies by race. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and second most common cause of cancer deaths among black women. At the time of diagnosis, blacks more often present with a higher stage of cancer. Although the death rate for breast cancer has declined over the past 20 years, the rate of decline has been slower for blacks. Black women are 1.4 times more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. Compared to whites, blacks have a lower rate of cancer survival for each stage of breast cancer at diagnosis. These differences have been partially explained by differences in types of tumors and access to treatment services.
All women are at risk for breast cancer, but getting regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. Mammograms, an X-ray of the breast, are the best method to detect breast cancer early when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. Having regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has established the following guidelines for screening, but you should discuss how often you should get screened with your doctor:
If you are age 50 to 74 years, be sure to have a screening mammogram every two years. If you are age 40–49 years, talk to your doctor about when and how often you should have a screening mammogram.
CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provides breast and cervical cancer screenings and diagnostic services to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women across the United States. Let your readers know they can search for free and low-cost screenings in their state!
Breathe Easier When You Know More About Asthma
Did you know that 1 in 10 Americans has, or has had asthma at some point in their lives? Most people don't die from asthma, but there is concern for African Americans because asthma is more likely to cause death. The reason for this disparity is not known. But there are asthma control techniques to help people manage their condition successfully. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers this important advice to everyone with asthma—have an asthma action plan and exercise it. The CDC has a variety of information that patients and health-care providers can use to control asthma.
- CDC Asthma Home Page
- Asthma Basics
- Most recent asthma prevalence data by race - BRFSS
- Most recent asthma prevalence data by race/ethnicity - BRFSS
- MMWR: National Surveillance for Asthma—United States, 1980-2004 (Latest Asthma Surveillance Data)
Featured story ideas with African-American readers in mind.
Take Time to Save Your Life: Get Screened for Breast and Cervical Cancer Early
Getting screened for some cancers can actually help prevent them from occurring. Screening also helps find other cancers—such as breast cancer—at an early stage, when treatment can be most effective. CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provides access to critical breast and cervical cancer screening services for underserved women in the United States. Women can find out if they qualify for a free or low-cost mammogram or Pap test.
The Power to Prevent and Control Diabetes is in Our Hands
Type 2 diabetes is a disease that affects millions of people and their families—especially African Americans who are at an even higher risk for this serious chronic condition. An estimated 3.7 million or 14.7 percent of all non-Hispanic blacks age 20 and older have diabetes. While diabetes is a leading cause of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and kidney disease and can cause blindness and amputation of feet and legs, there is hope. People with diabetes can take steps to control the disease and lower their risks of complications. Studies have shown that people with pre-diabetes who lose weight, eat right and increase their physical activity can prevent or delay diabetes and return their blood glucose (blood sugar) levels to normal. Working together, people with diabetes, along with their support networks like family and church members, and their health care providers can reduce the occurrence of these and other diabetes complications. These preventive steps can control the levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol when they are practiced in a timely manner. If you or a loved one has diabetes, the links below are just some of the resources about diabetes that puts the power to prevent and control diabetes into your hands.
Hepatitis C: Know. Prevent. Educate.
Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the hepatitis C virus. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness. Today, most people become infected with the hepatitis C virus by sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs. Before 1992, when widespread screening of the blood supply began in the United States, hepatitis C was also commonly spread through blood transfusions and organ transplants. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. The best way to prevent hepatitis C is by avoiding behaviors that can spread the disease, especially injection drug use.
Keeping it in the Family
You might not realize that your father's diabetes or your cousin's sickle cell disease could affect your child, but knowing your family's medical history could help save your child′s life. Learn more about how family history includes these factors, can affect a person's health:
HIV: Know Your Status, Get Tested
HIV and AIDS have unfortunately hit African Americans particularly hard. Nearly half of the people who are infected with HIV/AIDS are African American. The reasons for this disparity are not directly related to race or ethnicity, but rather to some of the barriers faced by many African Americans. These barriers can include poverty (being poor), sexually transmitted diseases, and stigma (negative attitudes, beliefs, and actions directed at people living with HIV/AIDS or directed at people who do things that might put them at risk for HIV). CDC has developed a variety of helpful resources in response to this issue:
- HIV/AIDS and African Americans: includes charts and breakdowns of HIV/AIDS in African Americans versus other racial groups
- Fact Sheet: HIV/AIDS among African Americans
- Prevention Challenges Faced by African Americans
- The Heightened National Response to the HIV/AIDS Crisis among African Americans
- What African Americans Can Do
- Webcast: Mobilizing Against the HIV/AIDS Crisis Among African Americans
Add Years, Gain Life, Lose Weight
Obesity is on the rise—more than 72 million adults in this country weigh more than they should and it's making us sick. Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, breast and colon cancers, and many other diseases can be prevented or managed with the important decision to lose weight. The health statistics for African Americans point to the need for an individual and communal response to the problem of obesity. Forty-five percent of African-American adults are obese and the numbers are equally alarming for African-American children. The good news is that there is help for those who are struggling to maintain a healthy weight. The link below provides information about a variety of HHS and CDC programs designed to combat obesity and help people maintain a healthy weight.
CDC Newsroom Resources
- African-American Experts & Leaders
- Hookup to Health - Sign up to receive e-mail updates when important information is released.
- Formatted Articles - Free, ready-to-print articles on a variety of health topics
CDC African-American Health Resources
- 2009 H1N1 and Seasonal Flu and African American Communities
- NCHS Fastats – Health of Black or African-American Population
- Black or African-American Populations – Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities Website
- Health Disparities in HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STDs, and TB
- Health Disparities & Minority Health Conferences and Events
- HIV and African-American Women (Information for TV Writers & Producers)
- Minority Health Topics
- National MRSA Education Initiative
- STD Health Disparities
- Vaccine/Immunization Information for Racial & Ethnic Populations
Other Government African-American Health Resources
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Page last reviewed: July 25, 2012
- Page last updated: July 25, 2012
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