Many Black women wear wigs to enhance their style, protect their natural hair, or manage hair loss. While wigs offer versatility and allow for creative expression, they can also pose health risks, particularly when worn...
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Teen Health: Challenges of Parental Cancer
What happens to a teenager’s world when the person they rely on most suddenly becomes fragile? A parent’s cancer diagnosis hits the family like an unexpected storm. For teens, already facing the struggles of...
Risks of Low Blood Donation
Around 6.8 million people in the United States donate around 13.6 million units of blood annually. The huge amount of blood donations ensured the United States, for a long time, was the largest blood supplier. Although the Black...
January Health: Blood Donors Combating Birth Defects
January marks two important public health observances: Blood Donation Awareness Month and National Birth Defect Awareness Month. Both of these observances are extremely important for the Black community, as they highlight public...
Environmental Factors and Birth Defects
A staggering 8 million children are born with birth defects every year. Nine out of ten of the most serious cases are born in low- and middle-income countries—which, unfortunately, is where the largest population of Black...
Teen Health: Mental Health & Birth Defects
January, recognized as Birth Defect Awareness Month, brings attention to the physical challenges faced by children born with congenital conditions. However, for Black teens with birth defects, the journey is harder. They often...
Disturbing Infant Mortality Rates in Black Community
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines infant mortality as the death of a child before reaching his or her first birthday. Since the year 2000, neonatal deaths have declined by 44%. However, the decline has...
Man’s Age and Birth Defects
Any family can have a child with a birth defect. A meta-analysis of 25 studies spanning 9 African countries found that the prevalence of birth defects was roughly 20 per 1,000 births. The figure observed in the southern African...
Age 35: Fertility and Birth Defect Risks
“What age is best for a woman to get pregnant and start a family?” I asked myself this question as I approached my 30s because I was constantly reminded that “time doesn’t wait for a woman.” Most ladies within the Black community...
Insurance Fails Black Health Needs
Factors like genetics, poor environmental conditions (including pollution), lack of access to quality care, and other social factors all contribute to the health disparity observed in our community across several health...