A Racial Gap You Might Not Know About
Golf, Public Parks & Recreation Help Address a Key Disparity
The COVID pandemic resulted in hospitalization rates among African-Americans more than double that of the overall population.
For many reasons outlined below, the COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on African-Americans and other non-White populations. A systematic review and meta-analysis from November 2021 found that non-Whites are at significantly higher risk of COVID-19 infection (and subsequently, hospitalization, and death resulting from more severe/critical cases).
Then consider that the median cost of COVID hospitalization is nearly $12,000, while data show that the uninsured rate among Black Americans is 12% (vs 9% among Whites).
The table above from the CDC shows a significantly higher rate of hospitalization and death among African-Americans.
Why does this disparity exist?
African-Americans face higher risk factors for many health issues such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease (for a variety of systemic reasons beyond the scope of this article).
For COVID specifically, three key factors have stood out:
1. Population density
According to the latest data from the US Census,12.6% of the US population are African-Americans, and that number increases significantly around urban centers (for example, 16.8% in NYC metro and 20.7% in Miami). Moreover, when you include other races and Persons of Color, Whites are actually the minority group in most urban counties (according to PEW Research).
2. Vitamin d levels (and subsequently, immune health)
Several studies have linked vitamin d not only to immune health, but also the risk of developing a COVID-19 infection. One study found that COVID patients who were deficient in vitamin d were 14X more likely to develop a severe/critical case, while they also had 11X higher mortality rates.
Several studies have even directly explored this association between race/ethnicity, vitamin d levels, and risk of developing a case of COVID-19.
For a number of factors, rates of vitamin d deficiency among Blacks may be twice as high as that of Whites in the US (76% vs 46%).
One study showed that African-American men living in areas with low sunlight are up to 3.5X more likely to be deficient in vitamin d, and they may require up to 6 times more sunlight than Caucasian men.
Vitamin d levels are linked with critical factors of both physical and mental health, including many chronic and acute conditions.
3. Occupation
One 2020 study from the University of Minnesota found that African-Americans are a full 3 times more likely than Whites to get COVID-19, and it cites that Black Americans are less likely to work jobs that accommodate remote work (thus creating greater risk of exposure to the virus… and perhaps contributing to stress levels that might suppress the immune system).
Golf Can Provide Well-Being for All
As the saying goes, the best medicine is preventative medicine. This could mean something as simple as getting adequate sunlight, finding a flow state in nature, and connecting with friends and loved ones for a relaxing round of golf. The R&A’s Golf and Health Report found that golfers live five years longer on average even after controlling for factors like race, gender, and socioeconomic status.
Depending on the source and slice of the data, roughly between 3% and 10% of golfers are African-Americans (that number drops significantly as the definition of “golfer” becomes more strict with golf spend and rounds played). In any case, the number is lower than the percent of the overall population, and the Census predicts that the US will become minority-white by 2045.
As an open-ended question to the game and industry of golf: what can we do to meet these changing demographics while helping to address systemic disparities in healthcare and other systems?
Driving the Green Take: In urban centers especially, public parks & rec systems along with municipal golf courses can help provide affordable, socially-distanced access to nature, community, and personal development through play, while also providing economic growth and job opportunities for people of all backgrounds and immutable characteristics. Check out Andrew’s latest article on how the PGA WORKS program accomplishes exactly that!
