In the United States, 1 in 3 women dies from heart disease every year.1 Thus, heart disease is the number one killer of women compared to all cancers combined.1 It is reported that approximately 43 million women in the U.S are affected by heart disease, and about 90 percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.1 More women die of heart attacks or other heart disease than men, and they are more likely to not get proper treatment compared to men. 2 This risk is even higher in African- American women.
Nearly 50,000 African- American women are killed by cardiovascular diseases annually.3 49 percent of African-American women ages 20 and older suffer from heart diseases.3 African-American women have the highest incidence …show more content…
Obesity and diabetes are other major risk factors for heart disease that needs to be monitored. Smoking and alcohol cessation must be encouraged to further decrease the risks. Also, healthy dietary habits must be encouraged at a young age as children, both at home and at school. Active interventions are required to foster policies and other innovations at the state and federal level to prevent heart disease and provide full accessibility to quality health services for such populations. Furthermore, assuring health promotion and education by increasing awareness of heart disease, its risk factors, and preventive measures, can help diminish heart disease in the present and the future generations to …show more content…
The study shows college educated participants to be more in control over their environment and their ability to change their attitudes compared to the non-college educated peers.6 For example, 91.4% of the participants who had a college education were aware that high blood pressure was a risk factor for heart disease, while only 67.9% of the participants without college education were aware of this.1 Similarly, while 84% of the college educated participants agreed they could prevent this disease, only 51% of those without a college education agreed.6 It also observed that approximately three-quarters of the college educated strongly agreed they felt comfortable discussing with their physician, only slightly over half of the non-college educated felt this way.6 Additionally, it is reported that only few of the participants (21%) had discussions about heart disease and its risk factors with their physicians.6 Thus, it is important for physicians to initiate discussions and education regarding CVD and its preventive behaviors at an early age.
An unexpected finding of the study was that learning a health message does not always mean total understanding of that health problem or have the ability to think about it critically.6 Thus, the differences in such awareness of a health topic needs to be considered during the development of health promotion and program planning for the
Nearly 50,000 African- American women are killed by cardiovascular diseases annually.3 49 percent of African-American women ages 20 and older suffer from heart diseases.3 African-American women have the highest incidence …show more content…
Obesity and diabetes are other major risk factors for heart disease that needs to be monitored. Smoking and alcohol cessation must be encouraged to further decrease the risks. Also, healthy dietary habits must be encouraged at a young age as children, both at home and at school. Active interventions are required to foster policies and other innovations at the state and federal level to prevent heart disease and provide full accessibility to quality health services for such populations. Furthermore, assuring health promotion and education by increasing awareness of heart disease, its risk factors, and preventive measures, can help diminish heart disease in the present and the future generations to …show more content…
The study shows college educated participants to be more in control over their environment and their ability to change their attitudes compared to the non-college educated peers.6 For example, 91.4% of the participants who had a college education were aware that high blood pressure was a risk factor for heart disease, while only 67.9% of the participants without college education were aware of this.1 Similarly, while 84% of the college educated participants agreed they could prevent this disease, only 51% of those without a college education agreed.6 It also observed that approximately three-quarters of the college educated strongly agreed they felt comfortable discussing with their physician, only slightly over half of the non-college educated felt this way.6 Additionally, it is reported that only few of the participants (21%) had discussions about heart disease and its risk factors with their physicians.6 Thus, it is important for physicians to initiate discussions and education regarding CVD and its preventive behaviors at an early age.
An unexpected finding of the study was that learning a health message does not always mean total understanding of that health problem or have the ability to think about it critically.6 Thus, the differences in such awareness of a health topic needs to be considered during the development of health promotion and program planning for the