Health Problems in Haitian American Population
The aging population in numerous communities experience serious health issues due to their weakened immune systems. The Haitian community in the United States is one of those with a large number of elderly people who are affected by a variety of health issues. The older people's lifestyle in Haiti is characterized by the consumption of alcoholic beverages and smoking, both of which contribute significantly to health disparities among this population. The environment in which life exists has a significant impact on its health. For example, many Haitians have emaciated bodies due to sickness and malnutrition
. Haitians have a 64-year average lifespan, relative to 79 in the U. S., according to the World Bank Group. This data is an indication that the Haitian elderly have a higher mortality rate due to their health discrepancies. Thus this paper explains the Haitian Americans' experience and the likely health disparities caused by these problems to the aging population. The most common health issues in the Haitian American population comprise HIV/AIDS, heart disease, diabetes, lower respiratory infections and stroke. The HIV/AIDS infection in the Haitian people was discovered in 1982. In 2016, researchers revealed that approximately 150,000 Haitians were living with HIV, and the adult population between the ages of 15-45 years experienced the highest infection rate (Duthley et al., 2021). The common factors leading to the spread of the HIV infection were associated with low education levels among Haitian Americans and extreme poverty levels, making the Haitians engage in sexual activities to earn a living (Mathurin, 2018). As a result, the HIV/AIDS health problem results in the highest 3 Additionally, Haitian Americans are also affected by diabetes, a lifelong health condition caused by insufficient regulation of blood sugar levels in the body. The common type of diabetesin the Haitian American population is type 2 (Bivins, 2022). Research shows that 70% of the adult Haitian population suffers from type 2 diabetes, and it records the highest number of lethal cases in the Haitian people. The disease requires frequent health checkups, but, due to poverty among the Haitian immigrants, diabetes has become a burden disease and has led to a reduction in life expectancies. On the other hand, American citizens can afford health care services, hence creating a disparity in the population's infection rate. The Haitian Americans experience a higher mortality rate due to common illnesses such as stroke and heart diseases. In 2019, cardiovascular heart diseases led to the highest recorded number of deadly cases in America. Research showed that among 100,000 cardiovascular patients, 117 adult patients succumbed to the disease (Lookens et al., 2020). The primary cause of death was insufficient funds to afford better healthcare services. Also, lower respiratory disease is common among Haitian American citizens. Due to a lack of health insurance coverage, the Haitians succumb to the disease since they don't take medications to treat the illnesses. The adult population aged 60-75 years is the most affected. Therefore, the following factors determine Haitian Americans' quality of health. First, the individual determinants of health depend on the physical nature of the individual and the psychological activities of the individual. Additionally, the environmental determinants such as the housing standards of the Haitians demonstrate poor health standards. Also, lack of jobs lowers the elderly population's chances of obtaining healthcare coverage, resulting in inequities in access to medical care. Consequently, these factors negatively influence the health condition of the aged Haitians. 4 References Bivins, B. L. (2022). Diabetes Mellitus an Epidemic in Haitian American Afro Caribbeans. Current Journal of Medical Science. https://www.cureus.com/posters/2015-diabetes-mellitus-an-epidemic-in-haitian-american -afro-caribbeans Cela, T. (2021). Higher education reform and diasporic engagement in post-earthquake Haiti. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 1-28. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09620214.2021.1927381 Duthely, L. M., Sanchez-Covarrubias, A. P., Brown, M. R., Thomas, T. E., Montgomerie, E. K., Dale, S., ... & Potter, J. E. (2021). Pills, PrEP, and Pals: adherence, stigma, resilience, faith and the need to connect among minority women with HIV/AIDS in a US HIV epicenter. Frontiers in public health, 9, 639. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.667331/full Looks, J., Tymejczyk, O., Rouzier, V., Smith, C., Preval, F., Joseph, I., ... & McNairy, M. (2020). The Haiti cardiovascular disease cohort: study protocol for a population-based longitudinal cohort. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1-11. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-09734-x Mathurin,
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