HeartSmarts en español

Hispanic and Latino Americans face higher risks of heart disease than White Americans because of high rates of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. Hispanic Americans & Heart Disease. Diseases of heart and stroke rank as the #1 killer of Latino Americans. Among Mexican-American adults, 33% of men and 31% of women have cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease causes more deaths for Hispanic Americans than all forms of cancer combined. Latinos with diabetes had higher rates of heart disease death than those without diabetes, according to the San Antonio Heart Study. Hispanic women are significantly less aware than white women that cardiovascular disease is their leading cause of death. The purpose of the HeartSmarts program is to educate and empower this community to improve their health.

Risk Factors

Compared with White Americans, the risk of diagnosed diabetes was 66% higher among Hispanics/Latinos.
At least 65% of people with diabetes die from heart disease and stroke. Yet, only 1 in 4 Latinos with diabetes know they are at risk for heart disease.
The total prevalence of diabetes in the United States is expected to more than double with an 127% increase in the Latino population.
Among Americans who experienced a stroke, 72% of Hispanics had high blood pressure (hypertension), compared to 66% of Whites.
Among Latino Americans age 20 and older, 75% of men and 72% of women are overweight or obese.
Hispanic Americans are more likely to be inactive (39.8%) than Whites (26.2%).
According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 65% of Mexican-American men and 74% of Mexican-American women did not participate in leisure-time physical activity.

HeartSmarts: Iglesia de dios-brownsville, brooklyn

HeartSmarts Class Iglesia de Dios in Brownsville Brooklyn. Pastor Romulo Jimenez and First Lady Florence Jimenez. HeartSmarts Ambassador Marva Wade.

Heart Disease in Brownsville, Brooklyn A new report describing the state of health care in Brooklyn shows just how far the borough’s poorest areas lag behind the wealthier areas of New York City. Heart disease is a leading cause of death in Brooklyn. In Brooklyn’s impoverished Brownsville neighborhood, the average person can expect to live to 74, just over 3 out of 10 adults are obese and 8 of every 1,000 newborns don’t make it to their first birthday. The data reflect a borough where, in some spots, the quality of a community's public health mirrors the wealthiest of Manhattan districts. Other residents are much more likely to experience premature death. The starkest example is in Brownsville, where the average life expectancy is 11 years shorter than in the financial district. "This is not because residents of Brownsville are dying of unusual diseases, but because they are dying of the same diseases—mostly heart disease and cancer—at younger ages and at higher rates.

Food Deserts and Poor Health in Brooklyn In Brooklyn, poor people travel 3x farther than rich people to get to the grocery store. According to the Food Empowerment Project, an estimated 750,000 New York City residents live in food deserts, while about three million people live in places with stores offering fresh produce are few or far away. Supermarkets throughout the city have closed down in recent years due to increasing rents, but the disappearance of urban grocery stores has had the most serious impact on low-income communities like those in Central and East Brooklyn. And: Healthier foods tend to be more expensive than unhealthful foods, particularly in food deserts.

Hands Only CPR

Hands Only CPR: Most people who experience cardiac arrest at home, work or in a public location die because they don’t receive immediate CPR from someone on the scene. As a bystander, don’t be afraid. Your actions can only help. When calling 911, you will be asked for your location. Be specific, especially if you’re calling from a mobile phone as that is not associated with a fixed address. Answering the dispatcher’s questions will not delay the arrival of help.

How to Give Hands-Only CPR- If you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse, call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of any tune that is 100 to 120 beats per minute. Immediate CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival.