Education, Policy and Environmental Changes
One of the goals of the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (HDSP) Program is to promote cardiovascular health in a variety of settings (health care, work site, school, and community settings) through education and policy and environmental changes.
Examples:
Education
Sponsorship of public awareness campaigns to raise awareness about signs and symptoms of heart disease and stroke and the importance of calling 9–1–1 when such symptoms appear. - Implementation of campaigns to educate the public that high blood pressure is a major modifiable risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and that having blood pressure checked is an important first step in identifying and controlling high blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Promotion of professional education and training programs on systems that support quality health care.
- Strengthening of prevention efforts through increased awareness and education about risk factor and lifestyle changes that affect high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking.
Policy
Promotion of policies to increase adherence to national guidelines for the prevention and control of high blood pressure. - Support of state–based policy development for universal 9–1–1 coverage.
- Promotion of enhanced policies for treating stroke as an acute emergency.
- Strengthening of policies in a variety of settings that encourage healthy lifestyles.
Environmental/Systems
- Collaboration on developing systems and intervention programs to detect and control high blood pressure in high–risk groups.
- Promotion of health care system supports to increase adherence to guidelines for heart disease and stroke prevention.
- Promotion of environmental supports for cardiovascular health in a variety of settings.