BLACKS SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN KEY GAUGES OF HEALTH.(MAIN)

Byline: GENARO C. ARMAS Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Black Americans, boosted by rising incomes and better access to health care, made marked improvements in key health indicators over the 1990s, according to a private analysis of government data released Thursday.

Teenage birth rates declined for blacks more than any other minority group, while more black mothers received early prenatal care.

Cases of tuberculosis also were less prevalent among minorities, especially blacks and Asians, researchers from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center reported.

Still, long-standing disparities between whites and minorities …