Abstract
This chapter focuses on a number of long-term conditions, notably circulatory disease, IHD, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, mental illness, and sickle cell disease. It examines the behavioural and health risk factors for most of these conditions, including self-reported cigarette smoking, use of alcohol, overweight and obesity, blood pressure, participation in physical activity, eating habits, and use of complementary and alternative medicines. In addition, a significant fraction of the morbidity (but now to a lesser extent of mortality) amongst ‘Black Africans’ is related to infectious diseases, especially those acquired in their countries of origin. The epidemiology of the HIV/AIDS pandemic amongst ‘Black Africans’ is described, with respect to its impact on the community, its essentially heterosexual character, and disease acquisition prior to migration, differences in incidence by gender, and the literature on ‘Black Africans’ currently living with HIV/AIDS (notably, people seen for care). A range of issues are explored, including undiagnosed infections and late diagnosis, and the personal context of living with HIV/AIDS, including stigma attached to it and issues of disclosure. The chapter also examines other infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections. Finally, the chapter discusses children’s health including the context of social and community care.
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Notes
- 1.
National Cancer Intelligence Network. Ethnicity and lung cancer. Accessed at: http://www.ncin.org.uk/publications/data_briefings/ethnicity_and_lung_cancer
- 2.
Data source: Health and Social Care Information Centre, Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMD), 2013/14.
- 3.
BMI is a widely accepted measure that takes into account weight and height: it is calculated as weight (kg) divided by squared height (m2).
- 4.
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Aspinall, P.J., Chinouya, M.J. (2016). Long-Term Conditions and Infectious Diseases. In: The African Diaspora Population in Britain. Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-45654-0_8
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