Heart disease prevention tied to equity, awareness during American Heart Month and Black History Month

OAKLAND, Calif. - While Valentine’s Day often focuses on romance, health experts say February is also a time to focus on protecting the heart in a literal sense — especially as American Heart Month overlaps with Black History Month, highlighting ongoing disparities in cardiovascular health.

During American Heart Month, doctors are emphasizing prevention, noting that most heart disease cases can be avoided through lifestyle changes and risk management.

By the numbers

What they're saying:

"At least 80% of heart disease is preventable," said Michelle Albert, a professor of medicine and cardiology at University of California San Francisco and former president of the American Heart Association.

Albert points to the American Heart Association’s "Life’s Essential 8," a framework that focuses on four health behaviors and four key risk factors, including eating better, staying active, avoiding tobacco products, getting adequate sleep, maintaining a healthy weight and managing cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.

Sleep, Albert said, plays a bigger role than many people realize.

"There’s a strong brain-heart connection," she said, noting that consistent sleep — typically seven to nine hours per night — helps regulate systems that affect cardiovascular health.

Albert also emphasized the importance of understanding how heart disease affects different populations, noting the significance of discussing cardiovascular risk during Black History Month and national campaigns focused on women’s heart health.

Heart disease affects about half of American women, she said, and new research is helping doctors better understand risk factors that may uniquely affect women. 

One emerging area of study looks at uterine fibroids, which affect many women during pre-menopause and menopause. Some research suggests fibroids may be linked to higher cardiovascular risk, potentially through inflammation and other biological pathways.

Fibroids affect about 20% of U.S. women overall, but Black women experience them at significantly higher rates — about three times more often than other racial and ethnic groups, Albert said. 

That disparity is part of a broader pattern in cardiovascular disease outcomes.

Limited access

Dig deeper:

Health experts say Black, Hispanic and Native American communities often face higher rates of cardiovascular disease while also experiencing reduced access to preventive care and treatment.

At the same time, Albert said there has been meaningful progress in public awareness. 

More people now understand major heart attack and stroke risk factors, and overall cardiovascular disease prevalence has declined over time — even though it remains the leading cause of death in the United States, killing more people than cancer and accidental deaths combined.

Still, significant challenges remain. Risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes continue to rise, and the aging U.S. population is expected to increase overall cardiovascular risk. 

Experts are also watching increases in vascular dementia as people live longer.

The financial cost is another growing concern. Cardiovascular care costs are estimated to exceed $400 billion annually in the United States, a figure experts say is unsustainable without stronger prevention strategies and more cost-effective care solutions.

Albert said prevention remains the most powerful tool.

"Everything we’ve been told about healthy living still applies," she said. "Stay active, eat well, sleep well and know your numbers when it comes to blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar."

Health leaders say continued research, policy solutions and improved access to care will be critical as cardiovascular disease risks evolve and as health systems work to close long-standing gaps in care.