Heart Disease and Black/African Americans (original) (raw)
- In 2023, Black or African American adults were 20% more likely to have diagnosed hypertension (high blood pressure) than non-Hispanic white adults.1
- From 2017–2020, Black or African American adults with high blood pressure were 20% less likely to have their blood pressure under control than non-Hispanic white adults with high blood pressure.2
- From 2017–2018, non-Hispanic Black or African American women were 50% more likely to have high blood pressure than non-Hispanic white women.3
Diagnosis
| Coronary heart disease among adults age 18 and over, age-adjusted percentage, 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 3.7 | 5.8 | 0.6 |
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of coronary heart disease for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2023.
Death Rates
| Death due to heart disease, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Male | 246.0 | 299.9 | 0.8 |
| Female | 188.7 | 240.3 | 0.8 |
| Both Sexes | 216.2 | 269.9 | 0.8 |
Source: CDC, 2024. Deaths: Final Data for 2021. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 73, No. 8. Table 10.
Hypertension
| Adults age 18 and over who have high blood pressure (diagnosed hypertension), percentage, 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 35.2 | 28.9 | 1.2 |
Source: CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of diagnosed hypertension for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2023.
| Hypertension among adults age 18 and over, age-adjusted percentage, 2017–2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Men | 57.2 | 50.2 | 1.1 |
| Women | 56.7 | 36.7 | 1.5 |
| Both Sexes | 57.1 | 43.6 | 1.3 |
Source: CDC, 2020. National Center for Health Statistics. Data Brief No. 364: Hypertension Prevalence Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2017–2018. Figure 2.
| Adults with hypertension whose blood pressure is under control, percentage, 2017–2020 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 13.2 | 16.8 | 0.8 |
Source: CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Healthy People 2030. Adults with hypertension whose blood pressure is under control by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-20.
High Cholesterol
| Adults age 18 and over who have high cholesterol, percentage, 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 19.7 | 25.8 | 0.8 |
Source: CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of high cholesterol for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2023.
| Persons age 20 and over who have high cholesterol, age-adjusted percentage, 2017–2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Male | 7.1 | 9.7 | 0.7 |
| Female | 8.6 | 10.0 | 0.9 |
| Total | 8.0 | 9.9 | 0.8 |
Source: CDC. National Center for Health Statistics Data Query System. Cholesterol in Adults, measured.
| Adults who received a blood cholesterol measurement in the last five years, percentage, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 92.8 | 88.9 | 1.0 |
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.
Cigarette Smoking
| Adults age 18 and over who are current cigarette smokers, percentage, 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 11.8 | 12.0 | 1.0 |
Source: CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of current cigarette smoking for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2023.
| Adults age 18 and over who were current e-cigarette users, percentage, 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 5.7 | 7.5 | 0.8 |
Source: CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of current electronic cigarette use for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2022.
| Adult smokers who received advice from a health professional to quit, percentage, 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black /Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 51.3 | 49.8 | 1.0 |
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.
1 CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of diagnosed hypertension for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2023. (Back to top)
2 CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Healthy People 2030. Adults with hypertension whose blood pressure is under control by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-20. (Back to top)
3 CDC, 2020. National Center for Health Statistics. Data Brief No. 364: Hypertension Prevalence Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2017–2018. Figure 2. (Back to top)