Page 35 - Cultural Competence in Health Education

Changing U.S. Demographics 13

DEMOGRAPHICS OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS
The following section provides a brief overview of the demographic characteristics
of the major ethnic and racial groups in the United States. These descriptions will
not, of course, apply to every individual who identifies as a member of a particular

population group. Instead, they offer overarching generalizations about the character-
istics shared by members of each group. As indicated earlier, signifi cant differences
exist within every racial and ethnic group.

African Americans

African Americans, or blacks, are defined as persons whose lineage includes ancestors
who originated from any of the black racial groups in Africa. Contrary to popular
belief, African Americans make up a diverse group that encompasses individuals of
African descent, Caribbean descent, and South American descent.
African Americans are the second largest racial group in the United States, with
approximately 39.7 million people, or 13 percent of the population, in July 2005
(Office of Minority Health [OMH], 2007). Over 50 percent of African Americans

reside in the central cities of metropolitan areas, and the majority are concentrated in
the southern states (McKinnon, 2003; U.S. Census Bureau, 2007c).
In comparison to the non - Hispanic white population, the African American popu-
lation has a higher proportion of younger people, its members are less likely to be
married, a large proportion of its households are maintained by women, and married
couples in this group have larger families (McKinnon, 2003; U.S. Census Bureau,
2007c). In 2004, approximately 80 percent of African Americans aged 25 and older
had completed high school and 17 percent had attained a bachelor ’ s degree or higher
level of education (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007c); yet these percentages are lower than
the percentages obtained by their non - Hispanic white counterparts. Moreover, African
Americans are less likely to be employed in management, professional, and related
occupations (McKinnon, 2003; U.S. Census Bureau, 2007c), and their unemployment
rate is twice that for non - Hispanic whites (OMH, 2007). Consequently, in 2005, the
average African American family median income was less than the non - Hispanic
white family median, and one - fourth of African American families were living at the
poverty level (OMH, 2007). Finally, the life expectancy for African Americans is six
years shorter than the life expectancy for the rest of the population (McKinnon, 2003;
U.S. Census Bureau, 2007c). According to the Office of Minority Health (2007), in

2003 the death rate for African Americans was higher than the rate for non - Hispanic
whites for heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza and pneumonia, diabetes,

HIV/AIDS, and homicide.
Hispanics
Hispanics are the fastest - growing population group in the United States. This group
includes all those of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or
other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau

7/1/08 2:49:20 PM
c01.indd 13 7/1/08 2:49:20 PM
c01.indd 13