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Race-based discrimination against blacks may explain the health disparities they experience compared to other racial groups, a recent UCLA report has found.

Authors of the study determined that the overall death rate of blacks in the United States is equivalent to that of whites in the nation 30 years ago.

The report, compiled by three UCLA researchers, also found that maladies such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and obesity disproportionately affect blacks, a fact they attribute to the constant stress associated with racial discrimination.

Due to the concern of being discriminated against, some blacks constantly have a greater sense of alertness because they feel they might be placed in a harmful situation, said Vickie Mays, the report’s lead author and a UCLA professor of psychology and health services. She is also the director of the Center for Research, Education, Training and Strategic Communication on Minority Health Disparities.

Mays, along with co-authors Susan D. Cochran, UCLA professor of epidemiology and statistics, and Namdi W. Barnes, a staff member at the center, have compiled all their findings and research from other sources into a report titled “Race, Race-Based Discrimination, and Health Outcomes Among African Americans.”

Their report will be published in volume 58 of the Annual Review of Psychology.

The findings state that if people believe they could possibly be discriminated against, their bodies go into a hypervigilant state so if something negative does in fact happen, they can respond physically, Mays said.

One example Mays gave is of treatment black people sometimes receive in stores or markets. She said black people may see owners keeping a close eye on them, which can heighten their sense of alertness.

After a period of being in a constant state of alertness, the body can get tired and a person may experience an elevation in blood pressure and heart rate.

“Your body isn’t meant to be alert all the time,” Mays said. “It isn’t made for your senses to be aware all the time. It’s meant to have resting periods.”

According to the report, many of the chemicals that react when a person is in a state of apprehension and alertness can damage systems in the body, which can in turn lead to disease and obesity.

Stress from constant discrimination can also cause other severe health problems, the report said. Prolonged stress can hurt the immune system, cause blood pressure to increase, and over time can lead to atherosclerosis and coronary vascular disease, according to the report.

Todd Hawkins, a fourth-year theater student, said these findings gave him insight into the reasons for the medical inconsistencies between black communities and others.

“I never thought of it that way, but I think it is very true because your environment does have an impact on your physical and mental condition. I think this is very interesting,” Hawkins said.

Mays said while other factors, such as poverty, contribute to the health problems in certain blacks, that does not explain why middle- and upper-class, educated blacks sometimes face problems such as delivering premature or underweight babies.

For this reason, Mays said, learning how the brain recognizes discrimination may help understand why blacks have higher rates of certain illnesses.

Omunique Falls, a second-year English student, said she believes blacks are discriminated against but has seen in her community that the health discrepancies are more of an economic problem.

“It’s discrimination, but in a different way,” Falls said. “It’s discrimination in health care. The resources aren’t available in our community. It’s about our neighborhood. It has nothing to do with ourselves.”

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