Kansas Minorities Face Health Care Disparities, Study Says
Minorities in Kansas are more likely to be unhealthy and have higher rates of cancer, diabetes and other diseases than whites, according to a study released on Dec. 11, the Wichita Eagle reports. The study, funded by the Kansas Health Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was released at the "Minority Health Disparities in Kansas" summit (Shideler, Wichita Eagle, 12/12). The report, prepared by the Kansas Health Institute and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, looked at minority communities in Wichita, Garden City and Kansas City, finding the following:
- Infant mortality among African Americans is double the statewide average.
- African-American men have the highest rates of prostate, lung and colorectal cancer in the state.
- While African Americans comprise fewer than 8% of the state's population, they account for almost 18% of the diagnosed AIDS cases in Kansas.
- Thirty percent of African Americans and 35% of American Indians have high blood pressure and die from coronary heart disease at a higher rate than the rest of the population; however, Hispanics have a much lower rate of coronary heart disease, which the AP/Topeka Capital-Journal attributes to the population's relatively low median age (AP/Topeka Capital-Journal, 12/12).
- The cancer death rate for African Americans is 28% higher than that of the state's general population.
- Only 67% of Hispanic women receive prenatal care in the first trimesters of their pregnancies, compared to 86% of the state's general population.
- Asian and Pacific Island women are 16% less likely than other state women to receive Pap smears (Wichita Eagle, 12/12).
According to the study, Kansas minorities often experience language barriers, poverty, unemployment, lack of insurance and access to health providers that prevent them from receiving adequate medical care and effectively communicating their medical histories, symptoms and concerns to physicians (AP/Topeka Capital-Journal, 12/12). Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, who spoke at the summit, said the study should be a "starting point" to "make you think about the problems" (Wichita Eagle, 12/12).
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