Kane health fair targets African-Americans

African-American residents in Kane County can receive free health screenings and information today at a health fair designed to help get them back on an equal level of fitness with the rest of their peers in the county.

Several parts of Kane County's plan to become the healthiest county in Illinois will be addressed at the fair. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Paul Crawford, who will talk about the prevention of chronic kidney disease.

Kidney disease is most often caused by high blood pressure or diabetes. Both are problems Kane County. About 6 percent of Kane County residents have issues with diabetes that might lead to hospitalization, according to the county health department. That's the number the county is actively trying to whittle down. High blood pressure is an even more far-reaching chronic condition in the county with as much as 31 percent of the population suffering from uncontrolled hypertension. In addition to kidney disease, hypertension can increase the likelihood of heart attacks.

African-Americans in Kane County also tend to see many more problems in childbirth than other races in the county, according to the health department. An African-American baby is three times more likely to die than other races in Kane County and twice as likely to have a dangerously low birth weight. Infant mortality is singled out by the county as one of the key snapshots of a segment of the community, resulting in a particular focus on improving health and health care in the local African-American population.

The health fair aims to pull in members of the African-American community to get them started on a path to better wellness.

The fair runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at West Aurora High School, 1201 W. New York St. The fair is free and open to the public. Health screenings will run from 8 to 11 a.m., and participants must have fasted for at least 12 hours before the screening.