Diabetes and Hypertension – A Greater Risk for Minorities?
Each person should have equal chances to stay in good health.  This means equal access to healthcare resources, adequate health education and an equal access to healthy foods.  It has been recognized that in the United States some racial and ethnic groups have significantly worse overall health when compared to others.  The differences between the overall health status of minorities and non-Hispanic white men and women are the result of many complex and mutually connected underlying causes.  Some social determinants, such as poverty, lack of proper education, racism and discrimination are directly causing minorities to suffer from chronic conditions that are preventable in nature.  Poor environmental conditions and insufficient access to resources that allow physical activity and healthy nutrition may increase the risks of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.  Lower quality of health services, tobacco use, insufficient physical activity and poor nutrition habits are linked to obesity, which may directly increase the risk of developing diabetes and hypertension. April is National Minority Health Month and now is the time to discuss these issues, present the data, make the public aware of the problems, and, most importantly, act promptly to allow good health for all members of the community. 
Public Health Problem
According to the data provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some chronic conditions, including diabetes and hypertension, are present in significantly higher rates in minority groups when compared to white non-Hispanics.  For example, CDC estimates that non-Hispanic blacks are at the 40% greater risk to develop hypertension than white non-Hispanics. Additionally, this group has the higher prevalence of hospitalizations due to hypertension, meaning that blacks have more issues related to keeping high blood pressure under control.  Alarming data demonstrate that blacks have 77% more chances to be diagnosed with diabetes type 2, while Hispanics are at 66% higher risk to be diagnosed with diabetes type 2, compared to white men and women. The life expectancy among blacks and Hispanics is significantly lower than in whites. The reasons behind these numbers are tightly correlating with poor healthcare quality and insufficient access to healthcare resources.  The issue has been recently recognized as a public health problem and new strategies are being implemented, especially at the level of primary healthcare institutions, with a final goal to improve overall healthcare of minority population.
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
Epidemiological studies have shown that African Americans have troubles of keeping the blood pressure within the normal range.  This problem affects African Americans across multiple states in the US. For example, African American women aging from 18 to 44 years are at a high risk of hypertension since the rate of hospitalizations due to hypertension is much higher in these women when compared to white women.  The similar results were obtained when comparing the incidence of hospitalizations due to hypertension in African American men and white men. These data patterns clearly demonstrate that there is a huge gap between races when assessing the risks of hypertension. CDC estimates that approximately 70 million people in the US suffer from hypertension.  More than a half of these people
Diabetes
American Diabetes Association reports that minorities are at the higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes when compared to white men and women.  More importantly, minorities including African Americans and Hispanics suffer from an increased rate of diabetes complications including limb amputations and kidney failure.  Some rather disturbing data demonstrate that every fifth African American above 20 years of age suffers from diabetes type 2, and every tenth Hispanic-American of the same age developed this chronic illness.  A study conducted at the University of Michigan aimed to investigate the trends of HbA1c (test routinely performed in individuals with diabetes to monitor overall blood sugar levels in weeks/months) among African Americans, Hispanics and whites.  The results indicated that the level of this marker is significantly higher in minority groups than in white Americans. The data clearly indicate poor management of the disease. When we look at the health insurance rates it is evident that minorities are poorly covered by insurance, which may provide an explanation for the poor disease management and high rate of diabetes complications.
Solutions
Environmental Approaches
The aforementioned data show that strategies need to be implemented in order to erase the significant differences regarding morbidity and mortality from hypertension and diabetes among the minorities and white Americans.  The path towards erasing disparities begins with promoting healthy lifestyle habits in different settings including schools, workplaces, and healthcare institutions. Sufficient access to healthy nutrients, promotion of regular physical activity and smoking cessation are the key components in eliminating high rates of diabetes and hypertension in minority groups.  Healthy foods and regular physical activity directly decrease the rated of obesity, which represents the major risk factor for both diseases. Education that promotes regular check-ups of blood pressure and glucose levels should not be considered a privilege, but a right of each person to maintain a good overall health.
Health Care Systems
More prevention is needed in order to achieve the milestone of decreasing the rates of diabetes and hypertension among the minorities.  Setting up a good network of primary healthcare institutions is essential for obtaining good results in mitigating the risks of hypertension and diabetes.  The primary healthcare system should provide guidance and education aiming to reduce the rates of occurrence of diabetes and hypertension, but also should work with patients suffering from these diseases in order to decrease the rate of serious complications that may occur as a result of poor disease management.
Community Programs
Higher rates of diabetes and hypertension among minorities in something that is not talked about frequently, but is definitely something that needs a lot of discussions and public attention.  By raising the awareness of the public regarding this important issue it is possible to find a sustainable solution that will break down the barriers to health and ensure that each person has equal opportunities to stay healthy. 
Tips to reduce the risks
Diabetes and hypertension are preventable.  Simply by embracing some lifestyle habits, it is possible to eliminate or postpone the development of these chronic diseases.  Changing the dietary habits if they are unhealthy, practicing regular physical activity, managing body weight and regular check-ups of blood pressure and glucose values will make you a healthier person and will reduce the risks of diabetes and hypertension.