To accomplish that, the report highlights the need for progress at every level of health care, from individuals to health care providers to policymakers. Among the recommendations is to invest in environments that promote healthy lifestyles, such as safe spaces for physical activity and supermarkets offering affordable, nutritious food that are often lacking in poorer neighborhoods.
Also advised in the report are programs that promote healthy diets and lifestyles, particularly through churches and other faith-based institutions, to raise awareness of cardiovascular risk factors and the need to lower them. Increased funding of medical research to help tailor treatment to African-Americans is also recommended, as are efforts to create a more diverse workforce in health care to enhance trust in the medical community.
“This is a call to action,” said Ivor Benjamin, M.D., director of the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Cardiovascular Center.
“It recognizes the complexity of the problem,” he said. “It’s not just about patients and health care providers. It’s about the public health system. It’s about the whole community, local health departments and legislatures. All of them should be actively engaged in improving cardiovascular health.”
Benjamin, who is president-elect of the AHA but not involved with the new statement, said the report “really gets into how can we take a more holistic approach that will improve the health of all communities. I think it will bring the right stakeholders to the table to address a multidisciplinary problem.”
Carnethon said the report’s panel hopes its work will help African-Americans better understand their health issues and communicate with their doctors, help doctors focus on the African-American community, and prod policymakers to make changes that will eliminate the disparities.
But on an individual level, she said, the message is universal. “It really starts on the prevention end, to maintain a healthy lifestyle so risk factors don’t develop,” she said. “However, once they do, it’s about taking ownership of your health, understanding the options and managing your risk.”