According to the American Heart Association, Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. The report notes that Black Americans suffer some of the worst CVD health outcomes, likely due to the increasing prevalence of health risk factors that lead to CVD.

CVD Prevalence: Among people aged 20 and older in the U.S., nearly 60% of Black adults have some type of CVD, including coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and hypertension; that’s compared to about 49% of all U.S. adults who have some type of CVD.

Stroke Disparities: Among all adults in the U.S., the prevalence of stroke is highest among Black women (5.4%) and Black men (4.8%), compared to all women at 2.9% and all men at 3.6%.
High Blood Pressure Crisis: Black adults in the U.S have some of the highest prevalence of hypertension in the world, with 58.4% of Black women and 57.5% of Black men having high blood pressure. That compares to 50.4% of all U.S. adult men and 43% of all women.
Heart Failure Burden: Black adults account for over 50% of heart failure hospitalizations among U.S. adults under 50.

Females, over the age of forty, (40), years of age and past menopause, are at a high risk of having a heart attack.

The science is clear-Black communities continue to face disproportionate risks of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular conditions, leading to poorer survival outcomes. But data alone won’t drive change. Real impact happens when we work directly with communities formulating ideas and creating plans and programs to create solutions that address these disparities. By advocating for equitable healthcare, fostering heart health education, providing monthly blood pressure, blood glucose, and oxygen saturation evaluations, and access to Hands-Only CPR training we, Centenary United Methodist Church, Health and Wellness Team are committed to working with the community to change the future of health.