HeartSmarts
About the Program
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations.
The HeartSmarts program aims to eliminate health disparities through education, action, and empowerment. Disparities can be found in both health status and health care with members of disadvantaged populations having worse health outcomes and often receiving substandard treatment. An example of a chronic disease that demonstrates a health disparity is heart disease. Although heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, it disproportionately impacts members of racial and ethnic groups who have higher rates of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. Heart disease knows no boundaries and cuts across all socio-economic groups.
The HeartSmarts Cardiovascular Health Education Program created by Dr. Naa-Solo Tettey, MPH, MBA aims to reduce the incidence and increase awareness of cardiovascular disease in underserved communities. The goal is to educate individuals, families, and communities about heart disease and its prevention. Through HeartSmarts the hope is to establish a coalition that will partner with educators, clinicians, and researchers in developing and implementing cardiovascular health outreach programs.
Request a HeartSmarts Ambassador
Through “HeartSmarts” we would like to partner with your organization to educate the members about heart disease and its prevention. We will do this by training Lay Health Ambassadors, free of charge, to lead an education program about heart disease prevention for your community. To request a HeartSmarts ambassador for your organization or find out more about the HeartSmarts program, click the link below.
HeartSmarts
About the HeartSmarts Program
The HeartSmarts program was developed by Dr. Naa-Solo Tettey to empower people to live heart healthy lifestyles. Cardiovascular disease, which includes coronary heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death in the United States. Blacks and Hispanics in underserved communities are at the greatest risk for both heart disease and stroke. The good news is that cardiovascular disease is largely preventable. The goal of the HeartSmarts program is to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease in underserved communities.
HeartSmarts Ambassador Training
Through HeartSmarts we would like to partner with your organization to educate the members about heart disease and its prevention. We will do this by training Lay Health Ambassadors, free of charge, to lead an education program about heart disease prevention for your community.
Lay Health Ambassadors play a key role in promoting better health throughout communities by teaching and empowering others. We strongly believe that this endeavor will be greatly beneficial to all involved.
Some of the topics that are addressed in HeartSmarts are:
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Stress Management
• Nutrition
• Physical Activity
Heart Disease
Heart disease & stroke is the No. 1 killer in women, and stroke disproportionately affects African-Americans. Importantly, African-American women are less likely than Caucasian women to be aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death.
Diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity and a family history of heart disease are all greatly prevalent among African-Americans and are major risk factors for heart disease and stroke. What’s more, African-American women have almost two times the risk of stroke than Caucasians, and more likely to die at an earlier age when compared to women of other ethnicities.
Here are a few unsettling stats:
- Cardiovascular diseases kill nearly 50,000 African-American women annually.
- Of African-American women ages 20 and older, 49 percent have heart diseases.
- Only 1 in 5 African-American women believes she is personally at risk.
- Only 52 percent of African-American women are aware of the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
- Only 36 percent of African-American women know that heart disease is their greatest health risk.