Following the historic vote on health care reform in the House of Representatives, President Barack Obama appeared with Vice President Joe Biden at the White House, to react to the passing of the landmark legislation. Given the impact of chronic illnesses on Black Americans, the legislation is an important step toward improving overall wellness in the Black community by making prevention a priority and access to affordable care possible to achieve better health outcomes. Below the video of the President's remarks we have included quick facts on the the health status of African-Americans obtained through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.




Source: The White House

Population (2008 Data)

40.4 million

Live Births

Number of Births: 675,676
Births per 1,000 women, 15-44 years: 72.7
Percent of births with low birth weight: 14%

Health Status

Percent of all ages in fair or poor health: 13%

Health risk factors for non-Hispanic Black population (2007-2009 Data)

Percent of men 18 years and over who currently smoke: 24.5%
Percent of women 18 years and over who currently smoke: 17.5%
Percent of men 20 years and over who are obese: 37%
Percent of women 20 years and over who are obese: 51%
Percent of men 20 years and over with hypertension: 39%
Percent of women 20 years and over with hypertension: 43%

Health insurance coverage

Percent of persons under 65 years without health insurance coverage: 19%

Mortality (2007 Data)

Number of deaths: 289,585
Deaths per 100,000 population: 723.4
Infant deaths per 1,000 live births: 13.24
Leading causes of death:
Heart disease
Cancer
Stroke

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention