The American Cancer Society says Black women have a rate of breast cancer 4% lower than that of white women, but their death rate is 40% higher.
And it’s not because they have more aggressive cancers, researchers say.
“It is time for health systems to take a hard look at how they are caring differently for Black women,” according to Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director for ACS Cancer Surveillance.
That disparity isn’t exclusive to breast cancer. It extends to all areas of health, from maternal mortality to chronic conditions such as diabetes.
In 2021, data showed the life expectancy for African Americans was 70.6 years, compared to 76.4 years for white people and 77.7 for Hispanics.
“Incidence of chronic disease is a specific challenge in our community, not only experience at increased rate but they are also more likely to die of those diseases than their white counterparts in the same neighborhood,” said Dr. Kanika Tomalin, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, which is home to the Center for Health Equity. “So we look at what is the determinant that makes this a death sentence for people of color and a manageable condition for others.”
The foundation, created after the sale of the nonprofit Baycare St. Petersburg, has worked since 2013 to improve healthcare for all marginalized people. For African Americans in particular, she said, data has shown that the effects of toxic stress and living in conditions of racism overall contribute to their adverse health outcomes.
Tomalin said that the dismal statistics for Black health outcomes remain consistent when adjusted for income, education level and other factors. The reasons behind them are systemic, she said, and so the foundation works to create systemic, sustainable change.
She noted five social factors that have been shown to largely determine a person’s health: economic stability, access to quality education, access to quality health care, social connections and community, and the neighborhood and built environment. Does their job offer insurance? Do they have access to fresh produce?
“The disparities that we see (in healthcare) can be traced right back to the disparities in those,” Tomalin said. “We’ve absolutely become more enlightened and informed about the importance of preventive care, about mind-body-spiritual wellness, and the difference that makes. The Affordable Health Care Act, work to ensure comprehensive health records—they were all designed to accomplish that.
“It’s such a vexing and large issue, sometimes it’s a matter of, what can we do and where do we start?” she said. “We believe it’s creating a value of equity and emphasizing its importance at every step of change.” This would include, for example, insuring there are equitable opportunities in employment, housing, food security and options for fresh produce, safe communities, creating economic connectedness, social connectedness and making sure school systems serve all students regardless of the location of the school
“These are all things we can do that inform those health outcomes that we so lament,” Tomalin said.
The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg and the Center for Health Equity are located at 2333 34th St. S, in the Lakeview Shopping Center, in St. Petersburg. The phone number is 727-865-4650 and the website is https://healthystpete.foundation.