Praeger Handbook of Black American Health [2 Volumes]


Book Description

More than 100 contributors from across the United States, all recognized experts in their fields, present information on the vast racial and ethnic health disparities, as well as approaches that can be used to reduce or eliminate these disparities. Chapters address topics from heart health, hypertension, diabetes, asthma and lung disease, and HIV/AIDS to alcohol and drug abuse, infant mortality, nutrition and exercise. Presents state-of-the-art information in a manner free of confusing jargon, making this accessible to a casual user, yet still helpful to students, scholars, and researchers. Chapters also address disparities in reproductive health, life expectancy and access to health care. Chapter authors include professionals and professors with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Pennsylvania State University. This expansion of Dr. Livingston's first edition of the handbook includes a doubling of the text, with 20 new chapters and complete updates revising the 27 returning chapters. These volumes will be of special interest to those in fields including public health, medicine, health psychology, health policy, and medical sociology.




Handbook of African American Health


Book Description

With a focus on how to improve the effectiveness and cultural competence of clinical services and research, this authoritative volume synthesizes current knowledge on both the physical and psychological health of African Americans today. In chapters that follow a consistent format for easy reference, leading scholars from a broad range of disciplines review risk and protective factors for specific health conditions and identify what works, what doesn't work, and what might work (i.e., practices requiring further research) in clinical practice with African Americans. Historical, sociocultural, and economic factors that affect the quality and utilization of health care services in African American communities are examined in depth. Evidence-based ways to draw on individual, family, and community strengths in prevention and treatment are highlighted throughout. Winner--American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award




Handbook of African American Health


Book Description

The U.S. Census Bureau reports particular demographic, social, and health conditions for African Americans. Population-wide, the African American community has a higher mortality rate from cancer and diabetes than the rest of the population, a higher infant mortality rate, and a lower vaccination rate for influenza and pneumonia. The contributions to this comprehensive Handbook of African American Health uncover the specific demographic conditions of the African American population, and outline social interventions for both physical and mental health at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. The 26 contributions to this comprehensive volume cover interventions for a diverse range of health problems, including:-obesity and cardiovascular disease-diabetes-asthma and other respiratory diseases-smoking, alcohol, and recreational drug abuse-risky sexual behaviors-cancer screening, prevention, and survivorship-infant mortality-community and interpersonal violence-mental health. From a healthcare standpoint, it also examines specific interventions for treatment compliance, health care access, and community collaborations. This volume will be an invaluable resource for researchers in medical sociology, mental health studies, public health, health behavior, and African American studies.







Health Issues in the Black Community


Book Description

Health Issues in the Black Community THIRD EDITION "The outstanding editors and authors of Health Issues in the Black Community have placed in clear perspective the challenges and opportunities we face in working to achieve the goal of health equity in America." David Satcher, MD, PhD, 16th Surgeon General of the United States and director, Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine "Eliminating health disparities must be a central goal of any forward thinking national health policy. Health Issues in the Black Community makes a valuable contribution to a much-needed dialogue by focusing on the challenges of the black community." Marc Morial, Esq., president, National Urban League "Health Issues in the Black Community illuminates comprehensively the range of health conditions specifically affecting African Americans, and the health disparities both within the black community and between racial and ethnic groups. Each chapter, whether addressing the health of African Americans by age, gender, type of disease, condition or behavior, is well-detailed and tells an important story. Together, they offer practitioners, consumers, scholars, and policymakers a crucial roadmap to address and change the social determinants of health, reduce disparities, and create more equal treatment for all Americans." Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, president, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation "I recommend Health Issues in the Black Community as a must-read for anyone concerned about the future of the African American community. Health disparities continues to be one of the major issues confronting the black community. This book will help to highlight the issues and keep attention focused on the work to be done." Elsie Scott, PhD, president of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation "This book is the definitive examination of health issues in black America issues sadly overlooked and downplayed in our culture and society. I congratulate Drs. Braithwaite, Taylor, and Treadwell for their monumental book." Cornel West, PhD, professor, Princeton University







Praeger Handbook of Asian American Health


Book Description

A team of noted specialists explains the health issues most common to Asian Americans, how and why treatment disparities exist, and the changes necessary to improve the health of this growing population. According to the most recent census, there are 11 million Asian Americans now, and their numbers are expected to triple by 2050. Hailing from more than 50 different countries and cultures, their health is affected by genetics, actions, beliefs, and prejudices that differ from those of others in the United States. In these timely volumes, a cross-disciplinary team of specialists explains the health issues and diseases most common to Asian Americans, how and why disparities in both disease development and treatment exist for them, and what changes must be made to improve the health of this growing group. This comprehensive collection includes vignettes and personal stories that illustrate the issues discussed and their impact on both individual and societal levels. Behavioral factors, including diet, smoking, and substance abuse are addressed. The text also describes traditional Asian American medical practices, as well as ways in which those practices have influenced American health care overall.




Inequality and African-American Health


Book Description

This book shows how living in a highly racialized society affects health through multiple social contexts, including neighborhoods, personal and family relationships, and the medical system. Black-white disparities in health, illness, and mortality have been widely documented, but most research has focused on single factors that produce and perpetuate those disparities, such as individual health behaviors and access to medical care. This is the first book to offer a comprehensive perspective on health and sickness among African Americans, starting with an examination of how race has been historically constructed in the US and in the medical system and the resilience of racial ideologies and practices. Racial disparities in health reflect racial inequalities in living conditions, incarceration rates, family systems, and opportunities. These racial disparities often cut across social class boundaries and have gender-specific consequences. Bringing together data from existing quantitative and qualitative research with new archival and interview data, this book advances research in the fields of families, race-ethnicity, and medical sociology.




Racism, Health, and Post-Industrialism


Book Description

Historical, sociological, and ecological analyses reveal that the health of a people is broadly determined by the strength, resilience, and vitality of their culture. The destructive effects of oppression and exploitation on health linger and are difficult to transcend when systemic attacks on the institutional stability of a people persist. Normative cultural destabilization produces added and abnormal challenges to the health status of African Americans. The pursuit of health becomes both a goal and a tool of liberation. Better health builds and releases mental, physical, and spiritual energy that can be directed toward achieving empowerment and development. The process of self-consciously pursuing better health attacks the fundamental mechanisms of cultural exploitation and oppression by serving to dismantle colonial-like relationships of dependency.