A pilot program founded in January by former US Surgeon General David Satcher and the... 100 Black Men of Atlanta, a group of city leaders, seeks to increase health awareness among black men, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports. The program will first educate members, who include former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young and former Atlanta Braves outfielder Hank Aaron, about the importance of proper diet and physical activity and later encourage them to inform other black men and children. Satcher hopes that the program will become part of other 100 Black Men chapters nationwide. "I started the program ... to take advantage of the fact these men are leaders in the community -- they were in a position not only to improve their own health but to influence the health of other people," Satcher said. Black U.S. residents have higher rates of deaths from diabetes than white residents, as well as higher rates of a number of conditions -- such as high blood pressure, infant mortality and tuberculosis. In addition, according to a CDC report released in February, black men had a life expectancy of 69.2 years in 2003, compared with 75.4 years for white men (Yee, AP/Las Vegas Sun, 8/14).

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