By now, you may have learned about the disproportional impact that COVID-19 is having on communities of Americans of African descent (African Americans). According to the COVID Tracking Project, which collects testing and patient-outcome data from all 50 states, the rate of death resulting from COVID-19 for black people is at or above twice the percentage in 10 states, more than three times the percentage in 4 states, and, shockingly, more than five times the percentage Kansas and Wisconsin, where blacks make up a meager 6.10 percent and 6.70 percent of these states’ respective populations.
Even prior to COVID-19, blacks suffered worse health outcomes and a lower life expectancy than their white counterparts. The causes of these disparities are varied and complex, but can be attributed to structural, institutional and individual racism. For example, blacks disproportionately live in neighborhoods where a greater proportion of toxic-waste sites are located. Blacks also have lower rates of health insurance than other groups and often lack access to quality healthcare. And there are documented differences in how blacks are treated by physicians, in terms of the time spent with each patient and the types of medications and procedures offered.
These varied factors contribute to a severely lopsided number of black people living with chronic health conditions like obesity, diabetes, asthma, hypertension and cardiovascular disease—the underlying health conditions that make people more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and more likely to die from the virus.
While these health disparities are receiving much-needed attention, the systemic issues that underlie them have developed over multiple generations. Dismantling them will take time. The good news is that black people are not completely powerless in taking positive action to improve their health on an individual basis. The secret to combating chronic health conditions has been hiding in plain sight. These systemic issues notwithstanding, the most significant factor affecting chronic health conditions is the “food” we eat.
I put food in quotes because much of what the average American eats can hardly be called food. More than 70 percent of our diet consists of processed products with little to no nutritional value. Added to our lack of routine exercise, the country is experiencing an obesity epidemic; nearly half of all Americans have at least one chronic health issue. While it is important for all Americans to be more thoughtful about what they eat and how they take care of their bodies, it is absolutely critical that black Americans, given the aforementioned health disparities, do so. We have to stop eating too much of the bad stuff and eat more of the good stuff—fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein-rich legumes.
Decades of research have demonstrated that individuals who eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet are less likely to experience chronic-health conditions–even if there is a family history of these conditions. I asked Dr. Floyd Willis, a family physician at the Mayo Clinic, about the impact of heredity. He quoted the World Health Organization, which indicates that 80% of premature heart disease, stroke and diabetes can be prevented. Dr. Willis went on to say, “So although your genetic make-up can certainly predispose you to illness and chronic disease, a very large driver of chronic disease may be social determinants of health. Even if at high risk for certain chronic diseases, eating the right food and maintaining the right weight may lessen the burden that social determinants of health impose on many of us.” Studies have shown that people can often even reverse poor health outcomes with proper nutrition and daily exercise. Numerous feature documentaries affirm these benefits, including one that I participated in, Eating You Alive.
It is true that a significant percentage blacks live in food “deserts”—neighborhoods where access to fresh, healthy, affordable food is difficult. This is another one of those systemic issues that needs to be addressed. But let’s be honest with ourselves. Even when these items are available, they are often not the ones we choose.
Shifting towards a plant-based diet can be challenging, giving the prominent role that food (often unhealthy food) plays in our lives. Food is so central to how people celebrate, vent and commiserate. So much of what people eat is tied to their cultural heritage, so there is a significant emotional attachment to certain foods we grew up eating. Nevertheless, we cannot continue to sacrifice our health for the sake of tradition. The time has come to modify our traditions and create new ones that put our health and the health of our families front and center.
Let’s keep shining a bright light on the systemic inequities that contribute to poor health in the black community and work hard to fix them. In the meantime, let’s also control what we can control. Every, single piece of food you eat will either help you or hurt you in the long run. Lastly, let’s commit to doing what we can to make it much harder for COVID-19 or any other health threat to ravage our communities.
Jarik Conrad, EdD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the Sr. Director of Human Insights and HCM Evangelism for Ultimate Software.
