Event: Twitter Chat at #MCAF
Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Time: 9:00 PM EST
Topic: African American Asthma Rates and What Moms Can Do About It
Register here.
On June 27, we heard from experts on our first BlogTalk Radio program about the soaring rates of asthma in African American communities and why advocating for clean air is so important to this demographic.
Now, the Moms Clean Air Force is hosting a Twitter Chat on Wednesday, July 6 at 9 PM EST. We’ll be using the hashtag #MCAF to share ideas about what moms – and dads! – can do to make sure our kids are breathing clean, healthy air. RSVP now!
Some frightening statistics:
* In 2009, about 2,380,000 African Americans reported that they currently have asthma.
* African American women were 30% more likely to have asthma than non-Hispanic White women, from 2001-2003.
* In 2006, African Americans were three times more likely to die from asthma related causes than the White population.
* From 2003-2005, African American children had a death rate 7 times that of non-Hispanic White children.
* African Americans had asthma-related emergency room visits 4.5 times more often than Whites in 2004.
* Black children have a 260% higher emergency department visit rate, a 250% higher hospitalization rate, and a 500% higher death rate from asthma, as compared with White children.
* Children in poor families are more likely to ever have been diagnosed with asthma.
(Source: http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=6170)
Twitter Chat Discussion Questions:
* Why is there such a big disparity between African-Americans and non-Hispanic whites with asthma?
* Do you feel like you were well-informed about your child’s asthma? Were you educated about the disease and what to expect?
* Do you know when your community is experiencing a bad air quality day?
* What can parents do to help their children with asthma?
* Are the clean air and health care disparities central to asthma issues important enough to Black parents for them to act on?
* Are the clean air and health care disparities central to asthma issues important enough to Black parents for them to act on?
* Could/would these issues impact their voting behavior or charitable giving?
* What aspect of these health and asthma statistics moves you enough to take community or political action?
Now, the Moms Clean Air Force is hosting our first Twitter Chat. We’ll be using the hashtag #MCAF to share ideas about what moms – and dads! – can do to make sure our kids are breathing clean, healthy air. RSVP now!