Blog #1

The health issues that concerns me the most are HIV/AIDS and obesity. HIV/AIDS is a health issue that concerns me because I did a community needs assessment on African American females in Dallas County last semester. In my research, I found that African American women in Dallas County are contracting HIV/AIDS at a rapid rate. Being an African American woman, this concerns me because the women around my age range (23- 34) are contracting this virus at a higher rate than any age range. HIV/AIDS is one of the #1 killers of African American women. I also work at a non-profit childcare facility for families who are infected/affected by HIV/AIDS and I see the affects that it has on these families.
Obesity is another health issue that concerns me because obesity is beginning to become a gateway for many other health risks like hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease which can all lead to death. I feel like exercising and healthy diets should be something that should be instilled in everyone as a child because these days children already have bad eating habits. I feel that if children grow up with better eating habits and exercise routines it will solve the many issues of obesity as an adult.

I interviewed my 43 yr. old mother, who said the health issue that concern her the most is cancer. She said that cancer is becoming something that is taking the lives and changing the lives of many women in her age range and younger. She has had a church member who died last month from breast cancer at 34 yrs old and it has woke her up about how important routine check ups are.

I also interviewed my 30 yr. old co-worker who said depression is her major health concern because so many women suffer from it. She has known women who have suffered from post partum depression and seen how hard it was for them to do everyday things. She feels that depression is something she worries will cause many different problems in women for a long time.

The health issues that concern me are so different from the health issues that concerned my interviewees because they were concerned about depression and cancer, but we all were concerned about the health issues in women as a whole.