Attachment 6
Heart disease facts
http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
Heart disease is a huge burden in the United States. It’s the leading cause of death for both men and women. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths is caused by heart disease. Coronary heart disease alone costs the United States $109 billion each year.
The good news: heart disease is preventable. Together, we can raise awareness about the risks for heart disease and help people make healthy choices to help prevent or delay it. CDC has teamed up with public health organizations and partners in 41 states and the District of Columbia to promote heart-healthy living and working conditions. [add visual]
In order to understand this burden and better focus your local, state, and national efforts, we’ve included information about heart disease risk factors and heart attacks —as well as data about heart disease deaths by race and location.
Raise awareness about risk factors and strategies for prevention.
The more risk factors a person has, the more likely he is to develop heart disease. High blood pressure, smoking cigarettes, and high LDL (bad) cholesterol are key heart disease risk factors — and half of all American adults have at least one of them.
32% have high blood pressure
21% smoke cigarettes
15% have high cholesterol
People can prevent heart disease by taking steps like:
Eating healthy
Getting active
Quitting smoking
Controlling cholesterol and blood pressure
Make sure everyone knows the warning signs of a heart attack.
Every year about 715,000 Americans have a heart attack. Knowing the warning signs of a heart attack is key to preventing death, but many people don’t know the signs. For example, in a 2005 survey, only 27% of respondents were aware of all the major symptoms of a heart attack and knew to call 911.
You can make a difference by creating campaigns to educate people about the warning signs of a heart attack and what steps to take to get help.
Understanding Heart Disease: Deaths by Race
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for most people in the United States, including White Americans, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans. For Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders and American Indians or Alaska Natives, heart disease is the number 2 killer.
In 2008, the percentage of all deaths due to heart disease by race were:
White Americans: 25%
African Americans: 24%
Hispanic Americans: 21%
Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders: 23%
American Indians or Alaska Natives: 18%
Put another way, in White and African Americans, about 1 in 4 deaths is caused by heart disease. (For other racial groups, this number is closer to 1 in 5 deaths.)
Support local, state, and national efforts to create materials that are culturally competent and address barriers — as well as provide tips and strategies for improving health outcomes.
Understanding Heart Disease: Deaths by Location
From 2007 to 2009, heart disease death rates among adults (ages 35 and older) were highest in the South and lowest in the West.
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If your programs serve populations in the South, think about how this data affects your heart disease awareness and prevention efforts. Collaborate with other organizations and federal agencies to maximize your impact.
Learn More: Fact Sheets
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Caroline Conena |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-28 |