Health status of Blacks in Northern Indiana

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INTRODUCTION
It is the goal of health systems agencies to better the health of residents in
an area by improving the quality and accessibility of health services while
restraining increases in the cost of providing these health services. I n order
to achieve this goal, data regarding the population characteristics and health
status problems of the area residents must be assembled and analyzed.
An Area and Demographic Profile of Northern Indiana presents an analysis of
the area's population characteristics. This analysis reveals that there are
four major subpopulations in the twenty-four northern I ndiana counties: the
Amish, the elderly, the Blacks and the Hispanics. The Amish and the elderly
have been the focus of two earlier studies by Northern I ndiana Health
Systems Agency, Inc. Th i s report is the th i rd in th i s seri es, and exam i nes
the Black subpopulation.
The primary obstacle in preparing a document which presents an accurate
assessment of the health status of Blacks has been an almost total lack of
data compiled by race that is disaggregated to the county level. Much health
related information is not divided into racial categories. Health data which is
available by race is most often divided into "White" and "non-White". These
broad categories cannot allow for a sensitivity that is needed to identify the
unique qualities and problems of Blacks.
Nationally, comparative analysis of health data for Blacks is complicated by a
diversity of collection processes. For example, all the members of a house­hold
are frequently assigned the same racial category as the respondent of a
survey. Fortunately there is a limited body of data collected nationally that
distinguishes between "White" "Black" and "other races". In an effort to
localize national trends, a broad-based group of social service professionals
and population representatives throughout the twenty-four county area have
been consulted.
This report is comprised of three major sections. The first presents the
Black population as measured by the 1970 Census and trends concerning the
age, mobility, employment, educational attainment, and income adequacy of the
population. The majority of Blacks in northern I ndiana reside in the five
urban counties: Allen, St. Joseph, LaPorte, Elkhart, and Lake. Trends
indicate that while Blacks have made great strides in all socioeconomic areas,
they remain disproportionately represented among the poor, less educated and
unemployed. The 1980 Census, which will provide exact information in these
areas, should be published by late 1981.
The second section deals with the health status of Blacks. The Black popula­tion
has a higher infant mortality rate and an extremely high accident and
homicide rate among young adults. Therefore, the Black population as a
whole consequently is less afflicted with heart disease and cancer, diseases
most common in old age. Several chronic conditions, among them hyper­tension
and sickle cell anemia, affect a substantiai number of Blacks.
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J R L3/B 2/20/81