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A
Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke
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Fundamental Requirements
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African Americans are more adversely affected by heart disease and
stroke than any other racial group in the United States. To combat
this disparity, the Association of Black Cardiologists is conducting
a public education campaign called Children Should Know Their
Grandparents: A Guide to a Healthy Heart. This program
encourages healthy lifestyle choices to prevent heart disease and
stroke and stresses the importance of sharing family medical
histories. |
- We must communicate to the public at
large and to policy makers the urgent need and unprecedented opportunity
to prevent heart disease and stroke in order to establish widespread
awareness and concern about these conditions, as well as confidence in the
ability to prevent and control them.
An effective, comprehensive public health
strategy to prevent heart disease and stroke depends on widespread
understanding of three basic messages. Heart disease and stroke threaten
the health and well–being of all Americans, especially during the middle
and older adult years. Prevention is possible by reversing
community–acquired behaviors, risks, and health disparities. Failure to
intensify preventive efforts now will sharply escalate the future burden
and cost of these conditions. To effectively implement this plan, we must
communicate these and other clear messages through appropriate channels,
with support from appropriate partners. A communications infrastructure is
needed that includes public health agencies at all levels, tribal and
other governmental agencies, the private sector (e.g., voluntary and
faith–based associations, professional and business groups, media,
foundations), and broad community participation.
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"At no time in the history of this nation has the mission of
promoting and protecting the public's health resonated more
clearly with the public and the government than now. To improve
health in our communities, we need high–quality and well–educated
public health professionals."
From Who Will
Keep the Public Healthy? Educating Public Health Professionals for
the 21st Century, Institute of Medicine, 2002 |
We must transform the nation's public
health infrastructure to provide leadership and to develop and maintain
effective partnerships and collaborations for the action needed.
Such changes, which will be elaborated in
a detailed implementation plan, will enable public health leaders to bring
together the array of partners needed to prevent heart disease and stroke.
These changes will also lead public health agencies to recognize and
aggressively emphasize the policy and environmental changes and
population–wide information and education needed for health behavior
change.
Next Section: Summary Recommendations
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Date last reviewed:
05/12/2006
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke
Prevention,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion |
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