Such adjustments are also needed because the elderly population in Cambridge remains predominantly white.

"Fifty years ago, Cambridge was a very white city and the people who are oldest in the community still tend to reflect that," said Ellington. It tends to be younger families in general who move into the city, [but] it takes a while to have that reflected in the mortality data as well."

Jacob emphasized that his department is especially concerned with how to tackle "the burden of disease for men of color in Cambridge."

The men's health report, for example, found that black men are hospitalized for diabetes at a rate 48 percent higher than the rate of hospitalization for white men. This is similar to rates of diabetes hospitalization statewide, but also points to the need for local initiatives to reach men effectively in their home communities, he said.

In late 2007, the health department, along with the Cambridge Health Alliance, the Cambridge Family YMCA, and the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House - a community organization located in the city's densely and diversely populated Area IV neighborhood near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - received grants totaling $844,000 to support a local initiative designed to improve health in men of color.

Called the Men's Health League, the project pairs health and fitness mentors with men at risk for diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, and also connects them with doctors and health insurance.

The league is wrapping up the first cycle of a 12-week exercise and health-awareness program called Fit for Life.

Ayano Strickland, 34, serves as one of the program's 10 mentors. Twice a week, he guides a young man (who preferred to remain anonymous) through a workout at the YMCA in Central Square, swimming laps, jogging on treadmills, and going through a Nautilus weight circuit routine.

Strickland, a holistic health counselor, also doles out advice on diet and nutrition that translates into general encouragement.

"He's a young man and he's short on cash so he's really interested in fast food," said Strickland. "I've been encouraging him to stop eating McDonald's, Wendy's, and Taco Bell and . . . checking in with him to make sure his lifestyle is in tune with what he wants for his health goals."

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