Black History Month: How to improve heart health for African Americans

February is both Black History Month and American Heart Month, which makes this an important moment to raise awareness of the prevalence of heart disease among African Americans.

This month we celebrate the achievements of Black Americans and their contributions to our country’s history. And while we have made progress in many areas, decades of health inequity have led to African Americans being 30 percent more likely to die of heart disease than white Americans. Systemic racism impacts Black Americans’ social determinants of health, such as housing or whether someone has access to health insurance or a physician.

This leads to stark health disparities. African American women have nearly double the risk of stroke of white American women, and they are less likely than white American women to be aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death of U.S. women, according to the American Heart Association.

African Americans have a higher rate of several risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. But many do not know they are at risk.

As we explore on the Regence blog and in a FOX 13 Seattle segment this month, there are several things we can all do to improve our heart health. Eat healthy and exercise. Stop smoking. Know your family history of heart disease and talk with your physician about your heart health.

Regence BlueShield offers wellness tools and other resources, including?the Regence Empower well-being platform that's available to most members.

Besides making changes in our lives, we can also join the fight against heart disease here in Washington. The national Go Red for Women movement aims to end heart disease and stroke in women, with my colleague Claire Verity chairing the movement in Puget Sound. Learn more about how to help.