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Black Americans face complex challenges when it comes to health, and those disparities aren’t just on paper; they lead to shorter lives and communities searching for answers in the face of institutionalized, systematic racism that has created barriers between Black people and their health.
In this piece, NewsOne dives into the leading causes of death among Black Americans to better understand the underlying factors causing such disparities in the numbers. Social, economic, environmental, and policy decisions enormously shape American health.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 causes of death among Black Americans.
In a study by Statista from 2020 to 2022, researchers found that the leading causes of death among Black residents in the United States in 2022 included diseases of the heart, cancer, unintentional injuries and stroke, according to the Statista Research Department.
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Top 10 Leading Causes Of Death Among Black Americans
- Diseases of the heart
- Malignant neoplasms (cancers)
- Accidents (unintentional injuries)
- Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke)
- COVID-19
- Diabetes mellitus
- Assault (homicide)
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases (CLRD)
- Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney diseases)
- Alzheimer’s disease
The leading cause of death for Black Americans generally followed the patterns of the leading causes for the entire United States. Still, one of the major exceptions was death from assault or homicide, which is the seventh leading cause of death among Black Americans but isn’t among the top 10 for the general population.
Homicide Among Black Americans
According to Statista, homicide rates among Black Americans have been higher than those of other races and ethnicities for a while. In 2023, around 9,284 Black people were murdered in the United States, compared to 7,289 white people. Most of these homicides were committed by firearms. In 2022, around 14,189 Black people died by firearms, but suicide rates account for over half of all deaths from firearms in the U.S.
Disparities in Cancer rates
Research also found disparities in access to health care. According to the data, the incidence rate of cancer among Black American males is the highest among all ethnicities and races. For Black women, the incidence rate of cancer is lower than it is among white women, but cancer death rates are still higher among Black American women.
Source: Statista / Statista
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Top 10 Leading Causes Of Death Among Black Americans
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