Power Tools American Heart Association Advocates to End Stroke Among African-Americans

The American Heart Assoc. has long been connected with comprehensive programs to combat heart disease among a diverse set of populations.

Both locally and nationally, however, the AHA has taken on a new challenge, working to raise awareness of another cardiovascular danger – stroke — specifically among black Americans, who experience higher instances of stroke and stroke risk factors than any other group.

The American Stroke Assoc., a division of the AHA, created the Power to End Stroke campaign last year and is currently in the midst of an increased awareness push, following National Stroke Awareness Month, observed in May.

Nikki Burnett, director of community heart and stroke programming and cultural health initiatives for the Central and Western Mass. affiliate of the AHA, explained that Power to End Stroke is one of a handful of major, focused campaigns created by the AHA to target cardiovascular disease among specific populations. Other campaigns include Go Red for Women, which reaches its peak during the month of February and raises awareness about heart disease in women.

“Power to End Stroke is an aggressive campaign geared toward the African-American community,” Burnett explained, noting that cardiovascular diseases account for about 33{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of all deaths among blacks in the U. S. “Heart disease and stroke are the number-one and number-three causes of death among African-Americans, and risk factors tend to develop earlier and be more severe. We’ve also found that there is disparate knowledge about those risk factors among many predominantly black communities.”

Preparing for Launch

To address those issues, Burnett said Power to End Stroke was launched in 2005 within various communities across the country, to raise awareness regarding risk factors and preventative measures.

Specifically, Power to End Stroke aims to increase awareness among African Americans that they are at the greatest risk nationally for stroke, and that stroke is preventable. To do that, the campaign is urging health care professionals to adhere to both primary and secondary stroke-prevention guidelines when working with patients, seeking additional corporate partnerships to drive the campaign’s expansion, and recruiting ambassadors for the movement at a national and local level.
Yolanda King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King, has signed on as the national spokesperson, and a number of actors, politicians, and musicians have also agreed to become ambassadors, including Chef G. Garvin of TV One, who has assisted in the creation of heart healthy-recipes, NFL commentator James Brown, and jazz singer Will Downing.

Locally, however, the issue is also gaining momentum in response to particularly high instances of stroke in the Western Mass. area. The region records some of the highest incidences of stroke and heart disease in the Commonwealth, which as a whole logs about 4,000 deaths from stroke annually. Heart disease and stroke together account for 42.5{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of all deaths in Massachusetts.

Nicole Higgins, communications director for the AHA’s Northeast affiliate, said she has high hopes for Power to End Stroke in Western Mass., noting that in some ways the program’s success in the area could serve as a model that other communities could follow.

“This is a great opportunity to get the word out about stroke and its devastating effects within a very at-risk population,” she said, adding that the national campaign includes several printed materials, planned events, and resources, all geared toward African-Americans and the roles they can play in fighting stroke. But local initiatives are also being tailored to create the most effective campaign possible.

Material Arts

A series of informational booklets have been drafted by the AHA, ranging in topic from heart health to risk reduction to the connection between stroke and sickle cell anemia – the most common inherited disease in the country among black populations, affecting about 72,000 people annually.

But in addition, stroke survivors and supporters of the movement alike are being invited to wear ‘You Have the Power’ bracelets, similar to the popular ‘red dress’ pins that represent the Go Red for Women movement. A healthy soul food cookbook has been published, and community-based initiatives such as ‘Search Your Heart,’ which enlists the involvement of local churches and faith-based organizations to implement a multi-tiered outreach program, are currently being introduced across the region.

Search Your Heart will provide area churches with a pre-designed curriculum for use with congregations, focused on risk reduction. Screenings for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes are one aspect of the program, as are physical fitness and activity clinics, healthy nutrition classes, tutorials in the recognition of early warning signs, stress-reduction exercises, and seminars centered on continued advocacy within a place of worship’s community.

“My favorite part of the campaign is the ‘family tree,’ a worksheet that helps users assess their risk, which I envision on refrigerators and bulletin boards in homes and businesses throughout Western Mass.,” said Higgins, noting that the tracing of inherited risk factors is key to reducing instances of stroke, as it calls greater attention to those risk factors that can be changed, including obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking.

Burnett added that the community-based initiatives also help achieve a specific campaign goal within the region – the involvement of local ambassadors and the acquisition of pledges from African-Americans who make a formal agreement to follow more healthy life practices.

“Nationally, many people have signed on to be ambassadors, including some big names and celebrities,” said Burnett, who explained that a number of events have been held in recent weeks as the campaign kicks off. “Ambassador bashes are being held to encourage involvement and recruitment everywhere. Locally, it is our job to recruit 15 ambassadors, but also 5,000 pledges.”

Championing the Cause

She added that local ambassadors are also beginning to join in the movement, including Brian Baker, owner of Round 1 Cardio in Springfield, and Andrew Cade of the Springfield Urban League. Meanwhile, the local AHA office will continue to recruit individuals, businesses, and organizations to partner in the Power to End Stroke campaign.

“In most cases stroke is not inevitable,” she said. “Advocacy is really the cure.”

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at stevenson@healthcarenews.com