CDC National Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program

Goals of the Program

• To increase state capacity by planning, implementing, tracking, and sustaining population-based interventions that address heart disease, stroke, and related risk factors (e.g., high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, tobacco use, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition). Population-based strategies focus on an identified population (e.g., women aged 35–65) or area (e.g., residents of state) rather than individual behavior change. Strategies should include policy, environmental, and systems changes to support cardiovascular health and education to increase awareness of the need for such changes.
• To conduct surveillance of heart disease and stroke and related risk factors and assess policy and environmental support for heart disease and stroke prevention within states.
• To identify promising strategies for promoting heart-healthy interventions in states.
• To promote cardiovascular health in a variety of settings (health care, work site, and community settings) through education and policy and environmental changes.

  Examples:

  Education:

  • Sponsor public awareness campaigns to raise awareness about signs and symptoms of heart disease and stroke and the importance of calling 9–1–1 when such symptoms appear.
  • Implement informational campaigns to educate the public that high blood pressure is a major modifiable risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and that having blood pressure checked is an important first step in identifying and controlling high blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
  • Promote professional education and training programs on systems that support quality health care.
  • Strengthen prevention efforts through increased awareness and education about risk factor and lifestyle changes that affect high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking.

  Policy and Systems:

  • Promote development of policies to increase adherence to national guidelines for the prevention and control of high blood pressure.
  • Support state-based policy development for universal 9–1–1 coverage.
  • Promote enhanced policies for treating stroke as an acute emergency.
  • Strengthen policies in a variety of settings that encourage healthy lifestyles.
  • Collaborate on developing systems and intervention programs to detect and control high blood pressure in high-risk groups.
  • Promote health care system supports to increase adherence to guidelines for heart disease and stroke prevention.
  • Promote environmental supports for cardiovascular health in a variety of settings.