CDC addresses heart disease risk factors in Blacks

By Ayesha Hana Shaji Texas Metro News Team

Heart diseases are the leading cause of death in America and one person dies every 34 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease, according to the CDC.

Black folks are at a higher risk than any other race to die from preventable heart diseases, said Booker Daniels, health communication team lead at CDC’s Division for Health Disease and Stroke Prevention, but it is not because of the lack of awareness surrounding the topic.

It’s because of the barriers and perceptions.

“Preventable heart disease exists in the context of a lot of different forces and factors,” Daniels said, adding that a few of those determinants are the social environment people are in; like social norms, social policies, and even climate change.

While heart disease is a clinical presentation, Daniels said, the risk factors that contribute to an individual's risk for heart disease exist in the context of where a person lives, where they learn, the food availability and recreational environments.

“All of those things contribute to a dispro- portionate burden of heart disease and stroke among Black and African Americans,” he said.

“Our research revealed and really echoed, based upon what we've heard from the lived experience of folks, is that heart disease and stroke and the burden of heart disease and stroke is not new, and it is not news to Black and African Americans.”

Most folks have direct contact with the issue either through their own health or through family members or those in their communities, Daniels explained. Thus knowing about cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure and heart disease is not the issue but accessibility and having a mindset to take incremental measures to improve your heart.

He said there are barriers and perceptions that result in the variation of numbers across demographics. Barriers include limited access to healthy and affordable food, and safe environments for outdoor recreation.

“Barriers include social structures that don't facilitate people leading healthy and active lives,” Daniels said, adding that it is an issue rooted in racism.

He said CDC boldly states that “racism is a public health issue.”

Perception is a factor because many per-