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Creating Positive Life Paths for Young Men in Communities of Color

Creating Positive Life Paths for Young Men in Communities of Color. KEITH A HUNTER, MD METROPOLITAN DC HEATLH CONSORTIUM. Black Health Gap. There are nearly 2 million more black adult women than men in America, stark testimony to how often black men die before their time. Black Health Gap.

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Creating Positive Life Paths for Young Men in Communities of Color

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  1. Creating Positive Life Paths for Young Men in Communities of Color KEITH A HUNTER, MD METROPOLITAN DC HEATLH CONSORTIUM

  2. Black Health Gap • There are nearly 2 million more black adult women than men in America, stark testimony to how often black men die before their time.

  3. Black Health Gap • The number of black males plummets as they move from their teens to their 20s, the gap first appears with the suddenness of a natural disaster. • says Satcher, "The real question is, does the nation really care to solve this problem?"

  4. The Developmental origins of well being- DJP Barker • Low birth weight is known to be associated with increased rates of coronary heart disease and the related disorders , stroke, hypertension and adult-onset diabetes. • Replicated in Europe, India and the US

  5. The Developmental origins of well being- DJP Barker • Mother’s health is critical to the in utero environment of the fetus and has great implications for the development of chronic diseases in adult life. • In animals it is easy to produce lifelong changes in the blood pressure and metabolism of offspring by minor changes to the mother’s diet before and during pregnancy.

  6. The Developmental origins of well being- DJP Barker • In Helsinki low income in adult life has a strong association with coronary heart disease among men. • Men with lower income had higher rates of the disease. • No agreed upon explanation but it is a feature of the disease in western countries.

  7. The Developmental origins of well being- DJP Barker • Increased incidence of coronary heart disease and diabetes with small size at birth and a large weight gain during childhood. • In Finland low birthweight was associated with increased incidence of hypertension only in families of low income.

  8. The Developmental origins of well being- DJP Barker • People who were small at birth had heightened stress responses. • In a British study, men and women who committed suicide, commonly the result of depression, had low weight gain in infancy.

  9. Stress and Allostatic Load • There are gradients of health when groups of people are classified according to their socioeconomic status, which reflect both income and level of education. The poor suffer earlier mortality and worse health, on the average, than the middle class, which, in turn, is not as healthy as those who are wealthier and/or better educated.

  10. Allostasis • Maintaining stability through change. • An attempt to be more specific than using the term “stress”.

  11. Allostatic Load • As an example of allostatic load, the persistent activation of blood pressure in dominant male cynomologus monkeys vying for position in an unstable dominance hierarchy is reported to accelerate atherosclerotic plaque formation.

  12. Allostatic Load • Blood pressure surges accompany the social confrontations and catecholamines are elevated during those surges. • Together, the blood pressure and catecholamine elevations accelerate atherosclerosis.

  13. Mental, Academic & Emotional Health • Mental illness may be defined as doing things that are not in your best interest on a frequent basis. • “Economic self determination is a prerequisite for optimal mental health” - Amos Wilson author of Black on Black Violence

  14. Mental, Academic & Emotional Health • Savage Inequalities by Jonathon Kozol • “What are we educating them for?”- Amos Wilson

  15. Mental, Academic & Emotional Health • Social engineering for the benefit of others • Others realized the profit to be made. • “This country will let a Black man grow up but it will not let him mature.”- conversation between Malcolm X and Earl Grant (1965)

  16. Possible Solutions • Saturday Academy that combines academics and health literacy • Rites of Passage programs • Art • Music • Technology

  17. Possible Solutions • Athletics • Martial Arts • Conflict Resolution • Connecting with family and community elders • Trades/ Apprenticeships with craftsmen • Mentorship

  18. Possible Solutions • Spirituality • Service to humanity

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