Practical Leaflets
The ethnic women
WOMEN FROM HERE OR ELSEWHERE :
FOR HEART WHICH BEATS IN UNISON
1st reason for a woman’s death, cardio-vascular diseases are worldwide continuing to progress. Inactivity, tobacco, unhealthy western food and stress are the four winning risk factors being the origin of this epidemic. This is an intolerable neglect and it is discriminatory being the big left-behind for this epidemic of the heart is: the black woman.
At the origin of this omission are no prevention and the money spent for it, the disinformation, not enough scientific studies made –specially in Europe or Africa – . Only the scientists and the geneticists from America and Canada have worked on the questioning a cardio-vascular disease among the female population of African origin. And they can give without any taboo the proof for having a predisposition towards it..
When the American Heart Association published in 2003 that 44,7% of black women are suffering from a cardiovascular disease against 32% of white women, rising by this a big alarm in the world of health. Black women are still not benefitting from having the same access to care than the other women, despite of these alarming numbers, the higher risk factors, and the greater factors of destruction. Their genetic predispositions are surrounded by a scientific vacuum.
Injustice is done to the heart which cannot be accepted and needs to raise the collective consciousness, so that this inequality comes to an end.
Which are the principal biological, social and cultural determinants which mark the beginning of the vehement cardio-vascular disease among black women ?
The principal biological determinants
- Being susceptible to high blood pressure, namely because of important salt- retention within the organism
- Being susceptible to renal failure of a black woman having hypertension
- Having a too high rate of cholesterol
- Genetic predisposition to overweight and to diabetes
- Resistance to treatments for regulation of arterial high pressure
- Complications and causing damage on specific organs due to a cardio-vascular disease, being more important as in other populations
Principal social determinants
- Neglecting alimentary habits, preferring a more western nutrition, which is favouring a hyper-caloric and hyper-fat preparation
- A black woman is more sedentary than a white woman
- A more important psycho-social factor of stress than in a white population, due to the isolation, the racism or also economic problems
- The difficulty to get correct care
Principal cultural determinants
- Stereotype vision of a black woman of being “the head of the family”, which is for all more important than to take care of themselves
- Denying the illness and its symptoms and refusing to consult the GP
- Preferring the traditional medicine
