Black Canadians at higher risk of dying from HIV, cancer than white people: study – National | Globalnews.ca

Black Canadians are more likely to die from HIV/AIDS and certain types of cancer than their white counterparts, a new Statistics Canada report has found.

The report published Wednesday analyzed data from Canadian citizens or permanent residents who were aged 19 and older at the time of the 2001, 2006 and 2011 census, followed by a follow-up period until the end of 2019.

According to the report, apart from HIV/AIDS, Black males were at an increased risk of dying from prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus and cerebrovascular diseases.

Black females, meanwhile, were at an increased risk of six causes of death compared to their white counterparts, including HIV/AIDS, stomach cancer, corpus uteri cancer, lymphomas and multiple myeloma, diabetes mellitus and endocrine disorders.

For Black males, the risk of dying from HIV/AIDS was found to be 2.37 times higher than white males, while Black females had a 6.05 times higher risk of dying from HIV/AIDS than white women.

According to the report, the “notable mortality difference” when it comes to HIV/AIDS-related deaths in Black people could be caused by “health inequities, differential antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and treatment delays.”

The report also pointed out that the respondents’ experience with discrimination was “an important health determinant” that was not available and is difficult to measure.

“Other research has shown that Black people are the most likely to experience discrimination, compared with other groups, and that this discrimination is associated with chronic conditions and chronic condition risk factors, such as smoking, binge drinking and infrequent physical activity,” the report said.

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However, the report found that overall Black males have a 25 per cent lower risk of dying from all causes combined when compared to white males, while for Black females, the risk was 22 per cent lower than white females.

Josephine Etowa, a full professor at the School of Nursing at the University of Ottawa, said structural racism and the social determinants of health contribute to the disproportionate impact of HIV on African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) people in Canada.

Etowa added that such health inequalities were also seen during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said another issue that contributes to the mortality difference related to HIV/AIDS is limited knowledge of the disease in ACB communities.

“The knowledge surrounding HIV is limited in our community,” said Etowa, who is Black. “Part of this knowledge includes knowing what new resources are available today and about the prophylaxis treatment that is now available for people to prevent HIV.

“We need to have meaningful engagement with ACB people, including giving them the resources to be able to advocate for themselves,” she added.

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