When one examines the data, you find that African Americans are at or near the top of almost all negative health indices. The data is daunting:
- Black men are 66-percent more likely than Caucasian men to develop prostate cancer and ultimately die from it.
- Blacks have the highest rates of lung, breast, prostate and colon cancers of any population in the world.
- Thirty-five percent of Black men have hypertension, as compared with 20 percent of Caucasian men.
- Black men are 180-percent more likely to die of stroke than their Caucasian counterparts.
African American men suffer disproportionately from these illnesses.
Raising the awareness of African American men about these and other diseases, accompanied by treatment and prevention information is the mission of Brain Brawn & Body.
This is not a fad. Brain Brawn and Body is life-changing. It’s vital.
I realized the morning following the launch of the website that we had taken on a huge responsibility. This website could be the catalyst that serves to awaken African Americans about health and wellness in a way that no other website or publication has. This can’t fail. Too much is at stake.
If the adage, “…survival of the fittest” means anything, then it is up to us to ensure that we are as fit and healthy as we can possibly be. It’s a matter of our survival.
We believe that we can reach African American males through Brain Brawn & Body with health related information that will improve their health, and thus, the overall health of the African American community.
But men aren’t the only target of Brain Brawn & Body. Women will be a major help in our process of educating men about their health. We understand the role that women play in the decision making about health-related matters in families. Our marketing plan calls for us to have a strong presence at health fairs as presenters and vendors, even those designed specifically for women; community events (local and national) and on college campuses.
All of this to ensure that we put Brain Brawn & Body in front of an audience that needs this information most.
We are excited about Brain Brawn & Body and what it means to the wellbeing of African Americans. Everyone we’ve introduced the site to has expressed excitement. At our recent launch event held at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Zilber School of Public Health, the crowd was rapt as they witnessed the unveiling of the site on the overhead monitors.
We will continue to spread the enthusiasm and the word that African American men can determine their own healthy futures with a little help from friends.
Help us meet our goal of 500,000 subscribers by the end of 2013. Go to www.brainbrawnbody.com and subscribe. You’ll receive emails containing healthy information regularly at no cost. The only thing you have to pay is attention!
Eric Von and Faithe Colas of Milwaukee are the co-founders of Brain Brawn & Body, a new website devoted to the health and wellness of African American men.
