BCA has adopted a holistic integrated approach to addressing the significant health disparities within San Francisco's Black community compared to all other ethnic groups. African Americans are disproportionately impacted by heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, HIV/AIDS and certain types of cancer.
Neighborhood and Life Expectancy
Approximately 1/3 of San Francisco's Blacks live in the Bayview/Hunters Point district.
- Over half of the land in San Francisco zoned for industrial use is located in the Bayview/Hunters Point area, creating poor air quality and significant environmental health conditions.
- Residents of San Francisco's Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood have a life expectancy on average 14 years less than their counterparts on Russian Hill.
- The Bayview has the highest number of children in San Francisco but the fewest number of pediatricians.
- San Francisco Health Outcomes by Zip Code
- The San Francisco Department of Public Health's Burden of Disease and Injury: Mortality Analysis details the leading contributors to the overall burden of disease and injury in San Francisco, based on death certificates for San Francisco residents.
Cancer
- Although more white women in San Francisco develop breast cancer, more African American women die from it.
- African Americans are less likely to survive for 5 years after being diagnosed with cancer than whites at all stages of diagnosis.
- Tobacco smoke is linked to 60 percent of cancer deaths among African-American men in the western United States.
Diabetes
- 23.5 million, or 10.7% of all people aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
- 3.7 million, or 14.7% of all African Americans aged 20 years or older have diabetes, compared to 14.9 million, or 9.8% of all non-Hispanic whites in the same age category.
- One in four African American women over 55 years of age has diabetes.
Heart Disease
- Blacks have the highest death rate due to ischemic heart disease in San Francisco.
- Ischemic heart disease is the number one contributor to the overall burden of disease and injury in the Visitacion Valley-Sunnydale neighborhood, as measured by premature deaths in San Francisco.
- Ischemic heart disease is the second leading contributor to the overall burden of disease and injury in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, as measured by premature deaths in San Francisco.
High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease (CHART)
- African-Americans have a 1.5 times greater rate of heart disease death and a 1.8 times greater rate of fatal stroke than white Americans.
- The prevalence of high blood pressure among Blacks in the U.S. is among the highest in the world. [NOTE: prevalence meaning percentage of population]
HIV/AIDS
Obesity
- 40% of African American adults in California are obese and 36 percent are overweight.
- The majority (68%) of African American females are overweight and 38% are obese.
Physical Activity
- 48% of polled African Americans by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that they did not participate in the recommended levels of physical activity for their health, (30 minutes of moderate physical activity, 5 days a week).
Violence and Traumatic Stress
- Violence is the leading cause of death among African American men in San Francisco.
- Despite the higher risk for traumatic stress within the African American community, it is often under-recognized, under-diagnosed and under-treated.
