Trends in Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality in American Indians Over 25 Years: The Strong Heart Study | Journal of the American Heart Association

Trends in Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality in American Indians Over 25 Years: The Strong Heart Study | Journal of the American Heart Association

Improving Native women’s heart health

American Heart Month is observed each February. And this year, National Wear Red Day—which raises awareness of women’s heart health—falls on February 7.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women are 20–30% more likely than non-Native women to die from heart disease. Additionally, data from communities in 3 geographic regions suggest Native women are more likely to die from heart disease than Native men.

NHLBI highlights strategies to address the disparity, which were discussed during a convening on Native women’s heart health. The strategies include:

• engaging young AI/AN women and girls in interventions focused on long-term wellness
• recruiting traditional female leaders to guide and implement heart health programs
• linking data to personal stories of people who have struggled with heart disease
• encouraging pregnant women to make healthy lifestyle changes
• focusing on how different foods make us feel, rather than on calorie counts

To learn more about the convening and other initiatives to reduce disparities in Indian Country, check out NHLBI Research and Training Highlights in Native American Health.