Common Chronic Conditions That Disproportionately Affect Minority Groups

Physical Health,Chronic Conditions,Inclusion & Diversity

Common Chronic Conditions That Disproportionately Affect Minority Groups

04.01.2025 | 5 min read

Medically reviewed by Dr. Crystal Lee, M.D.

April is National Minority Health Month (NMHM). It’s a time each year to build awareness about the disproportionate burden of preventable death and illness among minority groups.

Below is a list of six common chronic conditions that disproportionately affect minorities. While it isn’t possible to reverse these statistics overnight, it is possible for health care professionals, researchers and individuals themselves to take steps toward leveling out the disproportionate impact these conditions have on minority groups living in the United States.

6 conditions that disproportionately affect minorities

Cardiovascular disease (CVD): Nearly 60% of Black adults age 20 or older have some type of CVD, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). This includes coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and hypertension. Heart and blood vessel problems are linked to other diseases high among minorities. Additionally, Black women are twice as likely as white women to develop chronic hypertension during pregnancy, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Black adults are also more than twice as likely to die of CVD relative to white adults, per the AHA, and American Indian individuals are 1.5 times as likely to be diagnosed with coronary heart disease compared to the white population.

Cancer: Black people have the highest death rate for cancer among all ethnic groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Black people are also more likely than white people to be diagnosed with lung and colorectal cancers at a late stage, and according to the American Cancer Society (ACS) Black women have the highest death rate from breast cancer due to their higher risk of triple-negative breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women and lung cancer kills more women each year, which speaks to the disproportionately adverse effects certain conditions have on women.

Rates of kidney cancer and deaths are highest among the Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native communities, according to the ACS. Liver cancer rates are greatest for people who are American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian or Pacific Islander.

Diabetes: According to the American Diabetes Association, the rates of diagnosed diabetes in adults by race and ethnic background are as follows:

13.6% of American Indians/Alaskan Native adults
12.1% of non-Hispanic Black adults
11.7% of Hispanic adults
9.1% of Asian American adults
6.9% of non-Hispanic white adults

Kidney Disease: While one in three American adults are at risk for kidney disease, Black adults are more than three times as likely to have kidney failure compared to white Americans, according to the National Kidney Foundation. And per Kidney Research UK, kidney failure is up to five times more common in people from minority ethnic groups.

Obesity: Obesity rates are slightly higher in Black and Hispanic adults relative to the white population. The National Institute of Health states nearly 50% of Black adults have obesity compared to 42% among white adults. Compared to other racial and ethnic groups, the rate of obesity is highest among Black women.

Asthma: Black people are nearly 1.5 times more likely than other races and ethnicities to be diagnosed with asthma in their lifetime, per the American Lung Association (ALA). They are also more likely to experience complications like emergency room (ER) visits due to asthma.

Addressing health disparities among minority groups

Genetics and biology play a small role in disparate health outcomes, but the causes of health disparities among minority groups are largely systemic. Education, health literacy, income and environment all play a role. It takes dedicated providers working diligently to teach the next generation of doctors to do better for all patients.

These organizations work to increase access to health care in the United States through research, partnerships, health literacy initiatives and much more:

What you can do to prevent chronic conditions

Keeping regular checkups with your primary care provider (PCP) if you have one can help you stay ahead of potential health issues and regular screenings can catch them early, before they become serious. Beyond that, creating healthy lifestyle habits can go a long way in improving your health. Here’s what you can do:

Decrease alcohol use or eliminate it altogether and stop using tobacco.
Improve your diet by incorporating more fruits and vegetables, cutting out processed foods, limiting non-sweetened beverages and switching to sugar-free alternatives.
Prioritize at least seven hours of sleep per night. Learn more about improving your sleep hygiene at this link.
Increase exercise. You don’t have to commit to intense workouts multiple times a week, especially if you are just getting started or reacquainted with physical activity. Moving just a little bit more can improve your heart health. Moderate-intensity aerobic activities like brisk walking, gardening or biking boost your heart rate without too much effort, and at least 150 minutes of this kind of activity are recommended per week.

Small steps for big results

Incorporating the above lifestyle changes might seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Take small steps or make one minor change each day and build on it. For example, you can start walking for 10 minutes per day. You can start setting a bedtime of 20 minutes earlier than normal. Drink a extra couple of glasses of water per day and swap out your unhealthiest snack for an apple, banana, carrots or celery at least two or three times per week. Small changes like these can make a big impact on your health if you stay consistent.

Read more healthy lifestyle tips and information from MI Blue Daily:

Photo credit: Getty Images