Women of color also have greater prevalence of such chronic illnesses as cardiovascular disease, lupus, certain types of cancer, and diabetes as well as certain infectious diseases like hepatitis, tuberculosis, and AIDS. Infant mortality is highest among African American and Puerto Rican women, and maternal mortality is more frequent among African American, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaskan Native women than among white women. African American and Hispanic women are also at greater risk of homicide and HIV/AIDS than are white women.
Women of color are more likely to live in poverty than are white women - a factor which is strongly linked to a greater frequency and severity of illness and premature death. Limited access to health care and lower utilization rates for many preventive health services are more prevalent among women of color than among white women. These disparities are due to the legacies of discrimination; the dearth of minority health care providers; and the systemic, cultural, social, and economic barriers to health care that confront minority women.
