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Nearly half of all African Americans will develop heart disease

Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women, killing more than 600,000 Americans each year.

The American Heart Association is asking you to love and make a commitment to your heart this Valentine's Day. Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women, killing more than 600,000 Americans each year. A disproportionate number of those Americans are in the Black Community.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association, nearly half of African Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease. It affects 44 percent of Black men and 48 percent of Black women.

"We have risk factors that are significant those risk factors include family history such as a male relative diagnosed with heart disease before the age of 55 or female before the age of 50," says Dr. Denise Logan, with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, specializing in Internal Medicine. 

Logan says other risk factors include smoking, inactivity, hypertension and high cholesterol.

"And you know how we like to eat. And, you know what we eat," she says. "You want your LDL, good cholesterol, to be low and your HDL, good cholesterol, to be high. Eighty percent of cardiac events may be prevented with education and lifestyle changes."

Those are the messages being shared with African Americans across West Michigan through AHA's "Have Faith in Heart" initiative. The initiative is all about uniting members of the community in the effort to prevent heart disease and stroke. Part of that effort is teaming up with faith-based organizations and churches to promote heart health.

"Churches are playing a role in this initiative in heart disease. Many of our people, African Americans, we commune at church. We have a large number Most of the time that is where a large number of African Americans meet and talk about things so it is natural to make this information available to make them aware. Knowledge is powerful and you can't do anything without knowledge," says Earnestine Tolbert RN, a health and wellness chairperson at New Hope Baptist Church, in Grand Rapids. 

New Hope is one of 40 faith based organizations in West Michigan taking part in this national effort. Church leaders not only spread awareness about the dangers and risk of heart disease but the churches use medical professionals, like Tolbert, to do things like scheduling exercise sessions and performing blood pressure checks.

"Hypertension is a big deal. It is known as the Silent Killer. A lot of us African Americans don't know we have it," says Tolbert. "We have to exercise and eat the right foods and knowing our. I always advocate for knowing your bodies. Know your numbers. What is your normal blood pressure."

The AHA is encouraging clergy to share messages like the following from the pulpit: 

"Heart disease is affecting our community at an alarming rate, especially our mothers, sisters and daughters. If every woman here today takes steps to learn about her risk factors, stays physically active, eats a heart-healthy diet and sees her healthcare provider, we will begin to see a positive impact in the disparities of heart disease and stroke."

Research shows this approach has been successful in helping Black churchgoers significantly lower their blood pressure numbers. The hope is, it will also be successful at saving more lives.

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