Minority Health Conference To Address Concerns—

Study: State’s Black Residents

Dying Prematurely From Diabetes

HARTFORD — A new report from the Connecticut Health Foundation found that black people in Connecticut are dying prematurely from diabetes at a higher rate than whites, Hispanics, and Asians. Blacks in the state die before the age of 75 from diabetes nearly three times more often than whites, according to the 264-page report.

“That’s a real issue, I think,” said author Lorenz “Larry” Finison. “It is, we believe, bound to get worse because of the rates of increasing normal weight and obesity. It is not just a Connecticut problem, it is a national problem.”

The foundation put together the Community Health Data Scan for Connecticut to help set funding and public policy priorities. The report, which focuses on racial and ethic health disparities, recommends that the state fund diabetes prevention programs targeting black residents.

“The causal factors for diabetes, such as obesity, are becoming more prevalent in all age groups and in the whole population,” the report reads. “This is a ‘ticking time bomb’ for the current and future adult population.”

Dr A. Dennis McBride, director of the Milford Public Health Department, said there are complex reasons — such as access to medical care, treatment, and food choices — why one racial group may be more prone to diabetes than another. But he said rising obesity rates lead to greater rates of diabetes.

More than 53 percent of Connecticut adults were overweight as of 2000. The definitions of overweight and obese are based on body mass index, a measure of body fat that takes height and weight into account.

The report also found that nearly 31 percent of blacks 18 and older are considered obese under national guidelines, compared with nearly 16 percent of whites, nearly 22 percent of Hispanics, and 4.2 percent of Asians.

Urban Minorities Targeted

Connecticut’s urban centers had more than twice the percentage of obese adults as the state’s wealthy suburbs, the report said. Bridgeport in particular had a high percentage of overweight and obese adults. More than two-thirds of the city’s adult residents were overweight and a quarter were obese.

Being overweight or obese also puts people at risk for other chronic diseases, including hypertension, heart disease, gall bladder disease, and osteoarthritis.

The report warned that although immigrants to the state are less obese than people born in the United State, this advantage appears to be disappearing as people assimilate into American culture.

Other recommendations from the report include ensuring that all state residents have a place to turn for primary medical care other than hospital emergency rooms; changing the culture around binge drinking and smoking, especially among white youth and young adults; and supporting out-of-school programs that help reduce teen pregnancy, and promote the use of seat belts and bicycle helmets.

Days after the release of this report, the New England Regional Minority Health Conference Planning Committee convened its fifth biennial conference, Eliminating Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities by 2010: Moral & Economic Imperatives. The event was hosted by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

One of the largest regional gatherings on health disparities in the nation, the sold-out conference drew more than 400 attendees, including academicians and students, community advocates, government and policy makers, health care managers and financiers, and medical public health and human service providers.

Defining The Disparities

“There is no doubt that health disparities persist,” said Marie Spivey, RN, MPA, from the Connecticut Commission on Multicultural Health, and a conference co-chair. “This conference provides a multidisciplinary forum to identify successful programs to share outreach activities designed to eliminate such racial and ethnic inequities.”

“The Conference Planning Committee chose the title Moral and Economic Imperatives as a call to action,” stated Nancy Berger, MPH, director of multicultural health for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, and a conference co-chair. “The moral and economic imperative acknowledges that the lives of many in our society are characterized by bias and inequality, as well as limited access and receipt of inferior goods and services. These are issues that must be addressed now.”

According to a report on the conference in The Day of New London, Juan Figueroa, president of the foundation who delivered the keynote address, said that the “biggest” health care disparity in the state is number of blacks and Hispanics who are uninsured. He said that of the state’s 350,000 to 400,000 uninsured residents, 18 percent are black and 30 percent are Hispanic.

Blacks make up 10 percent and Hispanics account for 10.5 percent of the state’s population, he said. Figueroa said the lawmakers are considering proposals to extend health care coverage to the uninsured, and he called for equal access to high-quality health insurance.

“So while we rush to get everyone insured, let’s make sure the insurance is not second-class.” Mr Figueroa said, “I think the number one civil rights issue in the 21st Century is health care disparities. We need to make eliminating disparities a front-and-center issue.”

During her formal remarks, Ms Berger said, “Even though we are a wealthy state, we, like the others, have big differences in the health outcomes of different groups.”

She noted that diabetes rates among blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians in the state are twice as high as they are for whites. The disparities are attributed to a “complex mix of factors,” including access to care and transportation, and language and cultural barriers, according to The Day report.

Ms Berger said the overall purpose of the conference is to help providers answer the question: “How can we change our approach to incorporate the needs of populations not getting the services they need?”