Pictured above: Mayor Wu delivered remarks during the release of a report on life expectancy among Black residents in Boston at the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club of Roxbury on Friday, Feb. 28. Yawu Miller photo
The average Black man in Boston lives to 71.8 years – a life expectancy 9.3 years less than that of other men in Boston and the lowest of all groups included in a study released last week by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC).
In the 11-year period from 2013 to 2024, the life expectancy gap between Black women and men and their counterparts of other races doubled from 3.3 years to 6.6 years.
Mayor Michelle Wu gathered with city officials last Friday at the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club in Roxbury to announce the report’s findings and city initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes in the Black community.
“We cannot claim Boston as a beacon of health care while entire communities are left in the dark,” she said. “A beacon that only shines on some is no beacon at all.”
The BPHC study, “Closing the Gap: an Examination of Life Expectancy Among Black Residents in Boston,” identified cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disorders, and unintentional overdoses as the top drivers of the health disparities between Black Bostonians and other groups.
Other top causes of death for Blacks include Covid-19, and complications from diabetes.
In response to the disparities, Wu said, the city is investing $1 million in the BPHC’s budget targeting Black male health, partnering with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for a $1 million investment in cancer prevention, and convening city officials and community residents to work on initiatives combatting health disparities.
“We’ve made it our mission to close these life expectancy gaps by investing in the communities that need it most; expanding access to fresh food; safe, affordable housing; economic opportunity and by partnering directly with the community members of organizations that know best what needs to be done,” Wu said.
The city is also drawing on a $10 million grant from the Atrius Health Equity Foundation aimed at supporting community-led initiatives to improve financial wellbeing in neighborhoods with poor cardiometabolic health. The investments are meant to address root causes of heart disease and diabetes.
Without such efforts, the health disparities outlined in the report will likely persist, said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, the BPHC commissioner.
“Our modeling studies show that if we take no meaningful additional action to reduce inequities, 10 years from now the life expectancy gap will remain the same,” she said.
Ojikutu highlighted the city’s Live Long and Well agenda, a partnership between health providers, city officials and other groups aimed at developing new strategies to tackle the root causes of health inequities in Boston.
The agenda is led by a 30-member advisory council made up of representatives of community groups, social service agencies, and health care providers.
While Boston’s hospitals and community health centers are among the best in the country, inequities in the social determinants of health — access to health food, stable housing and employment — are driving inequities, Ojikutu said.
“We’re talking about limited economic opportunity, we’re talking about poor housing, we’re talking about the nature of some of our communities,” she said. “And we’re talking about community violence because number four on the list for Black men is homicide.”
Within the Black community, different nationalities face different challenges. For Haitians and Cape Verdeans, Covid was the top cause of deaths. Among Jamaicans, the top cause was cardiovascular disease. For all others, it was cancer.
Wu said the city will work to tailor solutions appropriate to each population.
“This report also tells us that change is possible, that interactions can make a difference and community involvement and focus can very quickly ensure that we are getting resources where they’re needed,” she said.
