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CHW Health Disparities Initiative

Materials for the African American Population

NHLBI health information materials are available in a variety of formats through our Online Catalog.

Manual and Picture Cards

With Every Heartbeat is Life, A Community Health Worker’s Manual for African Americans and Picture Cards
This newly updated toolkit for community health workers includes a manual and companion flipchart for a 12-lesson course on heart health education tailored to African American communities. The With Every Heartbeat Is Life manual comes complete with activities, group activity idea starters, and reproducible handouts, and the illustrated flipchart can be used as teaching tool to help lead the course. Topics covered include understanding heart disease and heart attack, reducing risk factors, and protecting your heart.

Recipe Books

Heart Healthy Home Cooking African American Style, With Every Heartbeat is Life
Prepare your favorite African American dishes in ways that protect you and your family from heart disease and stroke. This cookbook provides recipes for 26 tested and tasty favorite African American dishes.

Soul Food Makeover - Heart Healthy African American Recipespdf document icon (3.32MB)
These 10 traditional recipes are presented using lighter, healthier ingredients and cooking methods.

Booklet

On the Move to Better Heart Health for African Americans
This is a culturally-appropriate educational booklet for African Americans on heart healthy living. In an easy-to-read format, the booklet provides concise information on heart disease and its risk factors.

Visit The Heart Truth® for additional heart health resources.

Other Health-Related Topics

Sickle Cell Disease

What Is Sickle Cell Anemia?
Find out about the most common form of sickle cell disease, a serious disorder in which the body makes sickle-shaped red blood cells. This NHLBI website is also available in Spanish.

Peripheral Arterial Disease

Facts About Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) for African Americans
PAD affects 1 in 20 Americans over age 50 and raises the risk for stroke and heart attack. Find out who is at risk for PAD, how it is diagnosed and treated. Learn about steps you can take to reduce your risk, and learn about questions to ask your physician to help assess your risk for PAD.

Cardiovascular Disease

The Heart Truth for African American Women: Take Action to Protect Your Heart
Find facts and figures on heart disease in African American women including steps to lower heart disease risk through a heart healthy lifestyle. Key questions every woman should ask her doctor about heart health are included.

Stroke

NHLBI Stroke Belt Initiative, Project Accomplishments and Lessons Learned
The 1980 age-adjusted stroke mortality rates by State were examined, and NHLBI designated 11 states as the Stroke Belt.

Working with Communities

Reports

Cardiovascular Health, Small Group Discussion in Baltimore City Public Housing, Consumer Assessment for Community–Based Outreach and Education
Small group discussions were performed with public housing residents aged 15-74 to better understand the knowledge and perceptions, health behaviors, and social and environmental context that can impact cardiovascular health outcomes of African American public housing residents. This report summarizes the discussion results.

Mobilizing African American Communities to Address Disparities in Cardiovascular Health: The Baltimore City CV Health Partnership Strategy Development Workshop Summary Report
This report summarizes a full-day workshop of presentations, testimonials and programming recommendations made by over 75 health, housing and social service providers, community health advocates, and public housing leaders and residents of Baltimore City.

Public Health in Public Housing: Improving Health, Changing Lives Summary Report
This workshop had public health and housing professionals share successful intervention strategies to engage public housing residents in community-based activities for health and community development.

Data Book

The Jackson Heart Study Data Book: A Report to the Cohort and Community
This data book presents the results of the The Jackson Heart Study, the first large-scale study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in African Americans.

Guide

Working With Religious Congregations: A Guide for Health Professionals
This guide teaches how to work with clergy and lay leaders to develop, start, and maintain health activities for their congregations. Information on how to recruit churches, as well as how to train, sustain, monitor, and evaluate a church-based program is included.

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Last Updated: November 2020