According to the American Heart Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still the United States number one killer of men and women of all ethnic groups. The 2008 statistical update utilized the statistics compiled for 2004, or the most recent year that data are available.
Cardiovascular disease include high blood pressure,coronary heart disease (myocardial infarction=acute heart attack and agina pectoris=chest pain) Coronary heart disease (CHD) or hardening of the arteries is the single leading cause of death of Americans. There were 445,687 coronary heart disease deaths in 2005 In addition, in 2005 the death rates from CVD were 324.7 for white males and 438.4 for black males; 230.44 for white females and 319.7 for Black females.
~Death rates are per 100,000 population.
CVD Profile:
- Each year CVD disease claims about as many lives as cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents and diabetes combined..
- In 2004 statistics CVD caused the deaths of 459.1 thousand females compared to 410.6 thousand males.
- Approximately 2,400 Americans die daily as a result of CVD. The average of one death every 37 seconds.
- In 2004 statistics breast cancer claimed the lives of 40, 954 females, lung cancer claimed 68, 461.
- One in 30 female deaths is from breast cancer while one in six is from coronary heart disease.
- The 2004 stats overall death rate from CVD was 288.0
.Death rates: 335.1 for white males
454.0 for Black males
238.0 for white females
333.6 for Black females
The risk factors for CVD are not only common in the African America community, they are also preventable. These factors include high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol profile, overweight & obesity, abnormal blood glucose and the use of tobacco.
Risk factors are preventable at an early age, before manifesting as cardiovascular disease later.
Lifestyle choices for prevention include but are not limited to:
- Exercising 30 minutes daily
- Eat vegetables, fruits and grains
- Eat a low fat, low carbohydrate, low cholesterol, low salt diet
- Eat fish, lean meats, poultry
- Drink eight glasses of water daily
- Eliminate processed foods, sugar, pastry
- Reduce life stressors and/or reaction to stressors
- Engage in spiritual activities
- Give community service
Due to the urgent need for ongoing intervention to reverse the trend of increasing numbers of diabetes and obesity, heart disease and stroke, I have partnered with the American Heart Association to provide a community awareness program to help improve the health and wellness of community residents. This program revolves around the National Go Red for Women and Heart Health initiatives.
To help raise the awareness of community residents and its members at large, of the need for heart health and the prevention of CAD in women, I encourage women to join me during the month of February by wearing red, in accordance with the American Heart Association’s National Go Red for Women Day. In addition I ask women to schedule an appointment for themselves and family members to see their nurse practitioner, internist, or pediatrician.
