High Blood Pressure

Minority Women's Health > African Americans > Health Topics > High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure happens when blood can't flow easily through your blood vessels. This puts pressure on your vessels, which damages the vessels and strains your heart. As a result, blood doesn't flow as well to your organs, and you can have a heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure.

High blood pressure has no symptoms. See your doctor once a year to have your blood pressure checked.

One out of three Americans has high blood pressure. African American women of all ages develop high blood pressure more often than non-Hispanic white women. Some things increase your chances of having high blood pressure: increasing age (middle aged or older), diabetes, obesity (or being overweight), alcohol use, eating too much salt, a family history of high blood pressure, and not exercising.

Making some lifestyle changes can help prevent or control high blood pressure.

If you are overweight, lose weight. Losing just 10 pounds can lower your blood pressure.
Get moving. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day, most days of the week. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Or, walk during breaks at work.
Eat right. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Choose low-fat dairy products. Eat less salt.
Don't smoke. If you smoke, try to quit. For help along the way, check out our Quitting Smoking section.
If you drink alcohol, have no more than one drink per day.

Publications

For Your Heart - This portion of the womenshealth.gov web site will escort you through a short, confidential survey of questions about your health and lifestyle. Based on your answers, it will provide you with a series of articles detailing the latest information on exercise, nutrition, smoking, diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure, and other factors that affect you and your risk for heart disease - all tailored to your needs.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/ForYourHeart/
Heart-Healthy Home Cooking African American Style - Prepare your favorite African American dishes in ways that protect you and your family from heart disease and stroke. These 20 tested recipes will show you how to cut back on saturated fat, cholesterol, salt, and sodium and still have great-tasting food. Delicious foods from spicy southern barbecued chicken to sweet potato pie are included.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/chdblack/cooking.htm
Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure: Mission Possible. What Every African American Should Know - This fact sheet targets African American adults with messages about their special risks associated with high blood pressure and tips for preventing and controlling it.
http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/mission/partner/african_americans.pdf
Spice Up Your Life! Eat Less Salt and Sodium - This booklet provides information on the benefits of low sodium diets and identifies steps to promote healthy lifestyles among African Americans.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/chdblack/spice.htm
The Heart Truth for African American Women: An Action Plan - This fact sheet provides The Heart Truth facts and figures specific to African American women. Statistics are provided on heart related issues, as well as a checklist of questions to ask your doctor to begin your action plan for a healthy heart.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth/material/factsheet_aa.pdf

Organizations

= Indicates Federal Resources

Current as of December 2007