The 10 biggest killers of Blacks

"We have a tradition of eating fatty, high-salt diets that come from slavery when we had to eat what was left over from someone else's table or eat what we could grow in our yards," she says. "But the food can still taste good without the excess fat."

African-Americans also need to start exercising. The American Heart Association reports that, in terms of working out, Black women are the least active among all ethnic groups, and Black men aren't far behind. You don't have to run a marathon or become a bodybuilder to get in shape. just exercising for a few minutes every day can create lasting, positive effects.

Along with establishing a balanced diet and a regular exercise regimen, experts say, Blacks (and other groups) should stop smoking, refrain from unprotected sex, drink in moderation and stay away from drugs. Dr. Daniels says many people don't get worried about their health until their first or even second life-threatening experience. But the earlier you start making changes, the better chance you have for a longer life.

Spirituality and self-esteem can go a long way toward boosting our resistance to disease by encouraging us to love ourselves and others enough to lead healthy lives, Johnson says. We can help combat suicide by reaching out to young people. We can raise consciousness about bow to prevent major health problems by taking messages to the church and schools. And, she says, we can help Black America's poor by lobbying medical providers to give equal access to health care through reliable transportation and affordable insurance.

There are plenty of challenges that await Black America before we can celebrate good health, but there's also a lot of hope that the day may not be too far away. Fewer Black infants died last year. Black-on-Black murders are down. The life spans of Black men and women are their longest in years.

Dr. Daniels and other medical experts say we hold the key to good health in our hands because much of our fate depends on the decisions we make. "What I see in my office are problems acquired by poor choices," Dr. Daniels says. "If my patients followed [simple guidelines], two out of every three health problems I see would disappear."

(*) The leading health problems mentioned in this story were taken from a 1995 study from the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the Top 10 killers of Blacks of all ages.

RELATED ARTICLE: Top 10 Killers of Blacks