February is American Heart Month, and, unfortunately, most of us know someone who has been affected by heart disease or stroke. As the leading cause of death in the United States, one in every three deaths is attributed to heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day.1 Additionally, heart disease is the number one killer of women and is more deadly than all forms of cancer, killing one in three women every day.2 Between heart attacks and strokes, these conditions are the leading causes of disability preventing people from working and enjoying everyday activities. The costs associated with cardiovascular disease are astounding—heart disease and stroke hospitalizations cost the nation more than $444 billion in health care expenses and lost productivity in 2010, the most recent data available.3
Though these statistics are staggering, we can fight against heart disease and stroke. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched the
Million Hearts initiative in 2011 with the aim of preventing one million heart attacks and strokes in the United States by 2016. Through a range of heart disease and stroke prevention programs, policies, and activities, Million Hearts seeks to empower Americans to make healthy choices, such as avoiding tobacco use, reducing the amount of sodium and trans fat consumed, and improving care for people who seek treatment. These changes, once successful, will reduce the number of people who need medical treatment for high blood pressure or cholesterol—and ultimately prevent heart attacks and strokes.
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TRAIN, the nation’s premier learning management system for professionals and volunteers who protect the public’s health, offers local, state, and national trainings that public health professionals can utilize in helping to prevent heart disease and stroke across the population. A selection of trainings available on TRAIN that address heart disease and stroke include:
- Which program and policy interventions have been proven effective?
- Are there effective interventions that are right for my community?
- What might effective interventions cost; what is the likely return on investment?
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Features: Be One in a Million this American Heart Month. http://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth/. Accessed January 17, 2013.
2. American Heart Association: Go Read for Women. Facts About Heart Disease in Women. Hhttp://www.goredforwomen.org/home/about-heart-disease-in-women/facts-about-heart-disease/. Accessed January 17, 2013.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Features: Be One in a Million this American Heart Month. http://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth/. Accessed January 17, 2013.
4. Million Hearts. http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/aboutmh/overview.html. Accessed January 18, 2013.