Higher mortality among Blacks than whites, says new research

WASHINGTON – A new research has found that Black Americans have experienced 1.63 million more deaths than whites over the past 22 years.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently found higher mortality rates among Black Americans.

Compared with white Americans, they lost more than 80 million additional years of life during that period.

According to the study, heart disease, particularly in young children and middle-aged adults, and cancer in men took a heavy toll on the lives of Black Americans.

The study covers the period between 1999 and 2020.

Mortality rates began to improve until the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world.

The pandemic stalled the improvement, and the disparities between the Black and white populations widened in 2020.

“After a period of progress in reducing disparities, improvements stalled, and differences between the Black population and the white population worsened in 2020,” the JAMA article stated. 

According to the report, COVID-19 was also the second leading cause of death after heart disease among Black women.

“In 2020, the highest excess age-adjusted mortality rate among Black males was for deaths due to COVID-19 (80 per 100,000 individuals),” revealed the research. 

In an interview with CBS News, Dr. Harlan Krumholz, an author of the study, said they are all preventable deaths, and it needs configuration of society in a way that is responsive to the needs of this community. 

The researchers say race is not rooted in biology. The high mortality rate among Blacks can only be explained by their lack of access to the health care system and the environment they live.