Minorities in the United States experience higher prevalence of diabetes and obesity and have a higher mortality rate from these diseases than the rest of the population. For example, between 1980 and 2000, the age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was higher among blacks than whites and highest among black females. Between 1997 and 2000, age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes for Hispanic males and females was similar to that of black males. A study published in the January 1,2003, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), reported that the prevalence of obesity among US adults climbed from 19.8 percent to 20.9 percent between 2000 and 2001. This study also found that African Americans had higher prevalence rates of both obesity (31.1 percent) and diagnosed diabetes (11.2 percent) than did members of other racial and ethnic groups. These disparities are particularly great in minorities living in the south east region and require immediate attention. For example, in Alabama, age-adjusted diabetes prevalence was at least 50% higher in 2002 than in 1994 and it ranks number one among the other states. In this project, we propose to organize and conduct a regional conference targeting the African-American communities, who make up the largest cohesive minority in the Southeast region. This conference will be coordinated and implemented by the Minority Health and Research Center (MHRC) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The overall goal of this conference is to bring together academic scientists and community physicians to share their experiences, discuss and identify areas of basic, clinical and community-based research that may lead to the elimination of this disparity. The conference will feature both didactic lectures and interactive presentations on possible reasons for health disparities.
