With all of these factors in play they are also susceptible to minimal or no health insurance, which in turn affects their health status. .
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The Black population in North Carolina has had an increase in health status, even though they endure higher death rates from all major causes of illness. These causes include asthma, diabetes, major infectious diseases, and cancer. African Americans often receive a lesser quanity and quality of health care due to their economic status and educational level, not to mention race and discrimination that are all major influences in their care and in turn their health. .
African Americans have a 71% reported case of AIDS in adults and adolescents living in North Carolina during 1996, 93 % also reported were children 12 and younger. HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of deaths also in 1996. Most Blacks were ages 15 to 44. The deaths in Black females were eight times greater than that of White females, and in the male population, Blacks were eight times that of Whites. Overall African Americans in North Carolina are eight and a half times more likely to die of AIDS than White Americans. .
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Race and ethnicity are not included with the risk factors for the HIV/AIDS virus. There are certain risk factors that African Americans are more likely to associate with; Poverty is a risk factor that affects one in four African Americans. Socioeconomic problems are associated with the increase in HIV/AIDS risk because of the limited access to health care and education on the disease. .
Denial is a usual risk factor especially among African American who does not want to acknowledge the issue, because many have been reluctant to join the other Blacks who are responding through their own community. Substance abuse is a major risk factor, because it is the second leading cause of HIV/AIDS for African American men and women. Not only is sharing the used substance a cause of getting the disease but the inhabliltation that the use does cause poor judgment especially in sexual activity influence.