Abstract
The goal of this American Heart Association Guide for Improving Cardiovascular Health at the Community Level (AHA Community Guide) is to provide a comprehensive inventory of evidence-based goals, strategies, and recommendations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke prevention that can be implemented on a community level. This guide advances the 2003 AHA Community Guide1 and the 2005 AHA statement on guidance for implementation2 by incorporating new evidence for community interventions gained over the past decade, expanding the target audience to include a broader range of community advocates, aligning with the concepts and terminology of the AHA 2020 Impact Goals, and recognizing the contributions of new public and private sector programs involving community interventions. In recent years, expanding arrays of programs and policies have been implemented in increasingly diverse communities to provide tools, strategies, and other best practices to potentially reduce the incidence of initial and recurrent cardiovascular events. The AHA Community Guide complements the AHA statement entitled “Population Approaches to Improve Diet, Physical Activity, and Smoking Habits”3 and supports the AHA 2020 goal4 to “improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20%, while reducing deaths from CVDs and stroke by 20%.” The present AHA Community Guide supports the AHA 2020 goal by identifying exemplary regional or national programs that encourage cardiovascular health behaviors and health factors (formerly addressing risk behaviors and risk factors) from which communities might acquire proven strategies, expertise, and technical assistance for improving cardiovascular health. The AHA Community Guide seeks to prevent the onset of disease (primary prevention) and to maintain optimal cardiovascular health (primordial prevention) among broader segments of the population. Prior research indicates that using public health strategies such as sodium reduction in processed foods to lower blood pressure,5–8 tobacco laws to promote smoking cessation,9–11 and modification of …
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
