The “Faith in the Heart” initiative is a faith-based educational activity. The program is developed to aid consumers in understanding that “heart disease is preventable and heart healthy practices are important for longevity”, according to Kim A. Williams, MD, Chair of the Board of ABC. Dr. Icilma Fergus, Secretary and Chair, Community Programs, suggests, “This program has made measurable differences in our previous years, including legislation leading to healthcare reform”. “Faith in the Heart” touches the community where “call to action” has significant history in integrating social, economic, cultural, and political dimensions of the life cycle –including health.
- Deliver a mini health message/scripted presentation by an ABC member (local physician, other healthcare provider, or community health advocate) at participating mega-church site. This activity:
- Provides “pulpit” information to congregations by healthcare professionals around lifestyle and behavior modification, nutrition and healthcare seeking tips
- Has a consistently captive audience
- Allows for on-going presentation of information about CVD and its related risk factors
- Increase patient awareness of the high prevalence of CVD, CHD, and their risk factors, including cholesterol.
- Improve strategies for identifying high risk patients
- Emphasize the importance of effective risk factor modification
- Engage community leaders in the planning, implementation and execution of a community ‘call to action’
- Discuss local incidence and prevalence
- Identify resources; develop partnerships through faith-based leaders and congregation members
- Suggest sustainable action plans
- Offer FREE testing blood pressure, non-fasting glucose, BMI, and cholesterol levels, including LDL, HDL, and triglycerides
The “Faith in the Heart” program provides a unique opportunity to educate, empower, and mobilize influential members of the community around the issues of cardiovascular health and access to care as a tool for broader dissemination of evidence-based strategies for eliminating ethnic and minority health care disparities. Faith-based leaders and members of the community at large are challenged to promote health as an advocate, support the other educational activities associated with ABC and Sanofi-Aventis programs and identify additional appropriate venues, partners and faith-based education programs for further dissemination of information and strategies.
Prior to and following the message from the pulpit, an event/heart health risk assessment will provide for attendees referrals to and follow-up opportunities with locally identified and participating healthcare providers. In addition to the risk assessment, brief follow-up counseling for out of normal range participants will also be available. Additional counseling may include nutrition and medication compliance counseling. All congregation attendees will receive training on how to take their pulse as part of a targeted atrial fibrillation awareness campaign. The ABC “7 Steps to a Healthy Heart” information will be provided to all attendees and may be included as focus areas during counseling.
- “7 Steps to a Healthy Heart”:
- Be Spiritually Active
- Take Charge of Your Blood Pressure
- Control Your Cholesterol
- Track Your Blood Sugar and Maintain Ideal Weight
- Enjoy Regular Exercise, Follow a Sensible Diet and Get a Good Night’s Sleep
- Don’t Smoke
- Access Better Healthcare, Get a Check Up and Faithfully Take Your Medication
The message from the pulpit will reflect the ABC 7 Steps to a Healthy Heart. Members of the congregation receive educational materials on lifestyle behaviors that promote cardiovascular health. A script will be developed for those members who speak in churches with options for a weekly bulletin/email blast message for delivery to each of the parishioners through one or both of these messaging vehicles. The local program chair and planning committee will identify local worship sites, facilitate the coordination with the site representative, identify/recruit health messengers, as well as develop and coordinate the appropriate messages for church bulletin or email message blasts for the nine-week messaging period.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly heart disease and stroke, is the nation’s number one killer for both men and women among all racial and ethnic groups. In 2004, 869,724 Americans died of CVD and 150,074 from stroke. According to the American Heart Association, the estimated cost of CVD and stroke in the United States for 2008 is $448.5 billion -- $296.4 billion for health care expenditures and $152 billion for lost productivity from death and disability.
Many African Americans are not well informed about cardiovascular disease. This lack of substantial knowledge among those at greatest risk predisposes them to a compromised quality of life and even death unless education and awareness take place. This education and awareness, at the least, should include knowledge of prevalence of disease and its modifiable risk factors. The major modifiable risk factors for CVD are: diabetes, elevated cholesterol levels, uncontrolled hypertension, smoking, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity and unmanaged stress. Of all risk factors, diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, and family history of heart disease are all greatly prevalent among African Americans.
Modification of risk factors at any stage of CVD results in improved health outcomes, therefore it is critical to educate and empower individuals to control their risks. Despite these facts, African Americans and other people of color face greater barriers in access to cardiovascular care than do their white counterparts. Thus, education can significantly impact the disparities in outcomes for African Americans by helping them to make appropriate lifestyle changes (i.e., diet and exercise) and giving them the knowledge to effectively work with their healthcare providers in monitoring treatment of other risk factors (i.e., diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol).
Culturally appropriate, community-driven programs are critical for eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health. For these programs to be effective, prevention research is needed to identify the causes of health disparities and the best means of delivering preventive and clinical services. Establishing these programs will also require new and innovative partnerships among federal, state, local, and tribal governments and communities.
Health Disparities:
The demographics of the US are changing. People of color make up one-third of the US population, and that proportion is expected to increase to half by 2050. In many of America’s major cities and urban areas, “minorities” now make up the majority. The problem of racial and ethnic disparities in access, coverage, treatment, and health outcomes has been well documented in recent years. In fact, the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has made eliminating health disparities by 2010 a national goal. However, recent threats to public health programs such as Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), changes in the Medicare program and the growing number of racial and ethnic minorities who do not have health insurance coverage make reducing and ultimately eliminating these health disparities a challenging task.
The extent and breadth of racial and ethnic health disparities is staggering. People of color are less likely to have health insurance coverage, see a provider on a regular basis, and receive preventive screenings or routine health care services. At the same time, they are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage of disease and be hospitalized for preventable conditions.
There is no one solution to eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities, because myriad sources contribute to this gap. These factors include racism, class differences, poverty, health care coverage, and access to care. While a multi-pronged approach is needed to address this issue, increasing access to coverage is essential. To achieve this goal, community programs provide the best chance for improving the health of communities of color.
Given the vital role that community programs play in the lives of racial and ethnic minorities, any efforts to restructure, scale back, or cut these programs must take into account the unique needs and inferior health status of minorities. At the state level, proposals to restructure or alter Medicaid programs must consider the proportion of racial and ethnic minorities enrolled and how these changes might affect existing health disparities. Similarly, proposed policy changes at the federal level must include an analysis of the impact these changes would have on minority populations. As a result, the African American community must be educated on these policy issues and learn to take a more proactive approach towards influencing legislation that affects their health and well being.
