LUPUS AWARENESS MONTH
In honor of Lupus Awareness Month, the Lupus Foundation of America released a new survey they recently commissioned which reveals the need for better public understanding of this devastating autoimmune disease and why early diagnosis is so important.
According to the Lupus Foundation of America, the results of the survey show “while lupus affects an estimated 1.5 million people in the U.S. alone, 63% of Americans surveyed have never heard of or know little or nothing about this disease that has no cure. The survey sample was designed to be reflective of the U.S. population’s diverse demographics. Women of color are at two to three times greater risk for developing lupus than Caucasian women. However, over half of respondents (62%) didn’t recognize that minority populations were disproportionately impacted by lupus.
Minority women tend to develop lupus at a younger age, experiencing more serious complications and have higher mortality rates. This was reflected among minority respondents who indicated they were also more worried about developing the disease than others surveyed: 44% compared to 29% of the sample overall.
While it was promising that a significant percentage of Hispanics and African Americans surveyed indicated they were either very familiar or somewhat familiar with lupus, including 43% of Hispanic respondents and 54% of African American respondents, there are still considerable gaps in the understanding of lupus signs and symptoms which are crucial for early diagnosis.
To address this, the Foundation has an ongoing national lupus awareness and education campaign, Be Fierce. Take Control® that aims to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of lupus among Latino and African American women ages 18 – 25: a population at higher risk for the disease.” For more information visit www.lupus.org
OTHER NEWS
2018 HOLIDAY MESSAGE FROM BWA’S PRESIDENT GWAINEVERE CATCHINGS HESS
On behalf of The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc., I wish you a safe, healthy, and joyous holiday season. This has been a busy year for BWA. Along with our National Collaborating Organizations, we were actively involved in getting out the vote and were thrilled with the pivotal role Black women played in electing candidates on the state and local level, and also running for office.
I AM THE CHANGE: THE BLACK WOMEN’S AGENDA, INC. 41ST ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM TOWN HALL & AWARDS LUNCHEON
Weeks away from one of the most hotly contested midterm elections on record, The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. (BWA) recently hosted its 41st Annual Symposium Town Hall and Awards Luncheon, underscoring the importance of action and activism and encouraging civic engagement.
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, so now is the perfect time to educate yourself about the disease and learn what you can do to prevent type 2 diabetes or its complications. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), you’re more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are 45 or older…
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