African Americans in SEPA More Likely to be in Poor Health, According to Local Survey
Monday. July 12, 2004

Philadelphia, PA, July 12, 2004—As this week’s NAACP conference highlights growing disparities in the health of African Americans nationwide, a local survey has found that African Americans in Southeastern Pennsylvania are more likely to be in poor health than adults of other races.

The 2002 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, a telephone survey of the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (PHMC), a nonprofit public health agency, found that:

• African American adults in Southeastern Pennsylvania are more likely to have diabetes (12.7%) than adults of other races—compared to White (6.4%), Asian (2.3%), and Hispanic (9.8%) adults.
• Approximately one out of four African American adults in SEPA are living below the federal poverty level (26.1%).
• In SEPA, 72% of African American adults are overweight or obese, and 48.6% of African American children are “at-risk” of obesity—compared to White (33.3%), Asian (37%), and Hispanic (45.9%) children.
• African American children are two times more likely than white children to have asthma (16.4% vs. 8.5%).
• Approximately one out of four African American adults in SEPA smoke cigarettes (24.0%), compared to Asian (12.5%), White (20.1%) and Hispanic (20.3%) adults, and 38.0% of African American children live with a smoker in their household, compared to Asian (23.4.%), White (33%), and Hispanic (41%) children.

For more information on minority health disparities in Southeastern Pennsylvania, go to http://www.chdbdata.org/datafindings-details.asp?id=20. Additional Survey findings are located online at www.phmc.org/chdb.

Currently, and over the next few months, PHMC will be conducting the 2004 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, a major telephone survey to examine the health and health care experiences of Southeastern Pennsylvania residents. Approximately 10,000 households throughout the region will be randomly contacted by telephone and asked questions about health screenings, use of health services, health insurance, and personal health behaviors, among other topics.

For more information on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, contact Francine Axler at 215.985.2521 or go to www.chdb.org.