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4 Health Problems Black Men Should Be Concerned About

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4 Health Problems Black Men Should Be Concerned About

In addition to discussing whether you’re at a healthy weight, the experts

In addition to discussing whether you’re at a healthy weight, the experts suggest asking your doctor: ​​

"It's nice to set the tone and say, ‘I’m here because I want to really optimize my own health.’ If you can form that partnership and build that therapeutic alliance, it goes a long way, because we know that patients who are more engaged and activated in their own health are healthier," Shah says. ​​

Talking to your family about your health — and theirs — is important, Shah says. So is paying attention to your family's health history. ​​

"If your parents have diabetes or high blood pressure, you’re certainly at higher risk of developing it, and it's something that you want to stay pretty vigilant about," Shah says. ​​

AARP's research found that about 61 percent of the Black men surveyed have a family history of hypertension; 44 percent have a family history of diabetes. ​​

Smoking can cause cancer, heart disease and diabetes, according to the CDC. Respondents to AARP's survey report they are not heavy consumers of tobacco or alcohol. Still, Black men across all age groups have the highest rates of smoking in the U.S., according to the American Lung Association.

Talk to your doctor about quitting; there are resources that can help. 

​"These are all lifestyle interventions that we can implement on the individual level to reduce our risk of these multiple health conditions that disproportionately affect black men," Fasuyi says. ​​

Rachel Nania writes about health care and health policy for AARP. Previously she was a reporter and editor for WTOP Radio in Washington, D.C. A recipient of a Gracie Award and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award, she also participated in a dementia fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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