African American Biological Differences

For many years there has been a tremendous gap between health related diseases among the different racial groups. For example, some of the health diseases argued and researched over the years include: cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. In America, research has always led to the fact that black African Americans tend to have a higher mortality rate than those that are white. However, throughout the studies of racial inequality between health there is a question that comes into place as to whether or not "fundamental biological differences" is a cause of the health related problems that some people get. Through research it is shown that biological differences isn't a leading cause in the different health issues among race, social economic …show more content…
In the social class factor race plays a huge role as race can most likely determine where the social class places one person. For example probably everyone believes those that come from Africa have a higher chance of getting some sort of chronic disease because Africa lacks resources or food. However through a research conducted in Puerto Rico examined if skin pigmentation and blood pressure is related. From the studies two professors, Clarence Gravlee and William Dressler, found that skin pigmentation and the cause for high blood pressure is not related. Though they are not related Gravlee and Dressler found another cause for high blood pressure within the African derived populations and the cause was socioeconomic status, also known as SES. To conclude and finalize their research both Gravlee and Dressler concludes saying that there is no "association between pigmentation and blood pressure. Instead, the interaction between color incongruity and SES in association with blood pressure supports the hypothesis that skin color is a marker of sociocultural processes related to sustained high blood pressure" (Gravlee 202). Through Gravlee and Dressler's studies it is shown that people who are in the lower socioeconomic status have and have a self color rating of darker skin has a higher chance of having higher blood pressure. And those that …show more content…
Other factors that most researchers study include discrimination within races, stress, and the socioeconomic class that one person is in. To further support the idea that socioeconomic status and race is a major factor for a leading cause, a research conducted by Jo Phelan and Bruce Link, they acknowledge the fact that race and social class factors is in fact a possible cause for so many chronic diseases. According to their research, "segregated black neighborhoods contain two to three times as many fast-food outlets as white neighborhoods of comparable SES (Powell et al. 2007). Fast-food outlets contribute to blacks’ consuming more fast food, which contributes to racial disparities in obesity and diabetes (French et al. 2001, Pereira et al. 2005)" (Phelan 322). This shows that those that are of a higher social class tend to receive better services and have better access to help them with their