Premiering Today, April 30, at 9 p.m. ET and 6:00 p.m. PST on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS app: NOVA's Critical Condition: Health in Black America.
Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease than White Americans, and their life expectancy is about five years shorter. Black women also face some of the worst maternal health outcomes in the U.S. and are three times more likely than White women to die during pregnancy and childbirth.
Critical Condition, directed by Firelight Media Co-Founder and Lead Mentor Stanley Nelson, investigates the causes of these dramatic health disparities in the U.S., even as scientists confirm that there are no meaningful genetic differences between races. From the deep history of pseudoscientific beliefs about race that still permeate modern medicine, to the latest research on how experiencing discrimination can directly damage the body’s DNA and biology, Critical Condition reveals the factors behind the health crises facing Black Americans.