Essay about High Blood Pressure among Black Americans

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a major health condition which affects many Americans. This health condition may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. A normal blood pressure consists of systolic blood pressure divided by diastolic blood pressure, 120/80mmHg (millimeters of mercury). High blood pressure is defined as systolic pressure which is greater than 140mm Hg, and diastolic pressure which is over 90mm Hg. Hypertension influences the health outcomes of black Americans more than other races in the United States. Racial discrimination and socioeconomic status are two major factors which influence the rate of high blood pressure in the black American population. Hypertension is a developing†¦show more content†¦There is a positive association between racial discrimination and blood pressure that shows in African Americans who have had experiences of racial discrimination and unfair treatment. In the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Yo ung Adults (CARDIA) study (1996), Krieger and Sidney studied self-reported experiences of unfair treatment and racism from 4,086 black and white men and women ages 25 to 37 years old. Krieger and Sidney found out that working class blacks reported experiencing two or more discrimination cases when getting a job or looking for housing. Their blood pressures were 7 mmHg higher than working class whites (Arriola, 2002; Barksdale, Farrug, Harkness, 2009). This showed that working class blacks also had higher blood pressure than professional blacks (Leary, 1996). The professional black males who experienced one or two discrimination situations had higher rates of hypertension than those professional white males. In addition, the blood pressure of professional black females who had two or more experiences of racial discrimination was higher than professional white females. These findings show that there’s a relationship between discriminatory experiences and hypertension (Krieger Sidney, 1996)(Barksdale et al., 2009). More experiences of racial discrimination, result in blood pressure that is high. From the CARDIA study (1996), itShow MoreRelatedPaper: Individual Cultural Disease1041 Words   |  4 Pagesathletes are thought to be free of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, but in actual they are at a higher risk of hypertension. Keywords: Hypertension, heart, diet, blood pressure, athlete, players Individual Cultural Disease Paper Heart Diseases are commonly found all over the world. Obese people and patients of blood pressure are more likely to suffer through diseases of heart. Researches show that many athletes suffer through heart diseases, particularly Hypertension. 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