New Interactive Heart Health Feature for African American Women added to The National Women's Health Information Center's For Your Heart Website

Washington, D.C., August 17, 2000- A new interactive heart assessment feature tailored exclusively for African American women is now available on the National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC) website, sponsored by the Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This new addition to the site's "For Your Heart" feature was developed in cooperation with the American Heart Association. The announcement was made today at a special panel session on cardiovascular disease and African American women at the 28th Annual Conference of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA).

"For Your Heart" asks women questions about their lifestyle and health behaviors, and provides messages tailored to their risk and willingness to change. The new culturally tailored messages are designed to promote behavior change among African American women by using relevant information, images, stories, and recipes. The new feature is part of the Department's commitment to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health status. "We have learned from our community-based prevention efforts that health messages work best when people can personally relate to them," said David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary of Health. "By tailoring messages to African American women, "For Your Heart" is taking what we've learned in the community and applying it to the internet." "For Your Heart" can be accessed on the World Wide Web at: www.womenshealth.gov.

The National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) spotlighted the new "For Your Heart" component designed for African American at a special Cardiovascular Disease and African American Women panel session featuring Nita Booth, Miss Virginia 1998 and a heart disease patient. "Educating African American women about the risk factors for cardiovascular disease is my full-time mission," said Booth. By using the "For Your Heart" site, I can get immediate feedback of how I'm doing with my physical activity, blood pressure monitoring, and nutrition. I love the conversational-type stories because they remind me of situations I've been in with my family and friends in changing my eating and exercise habits. I urge all African-American women to check out this site."

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for African American women in the United States. For African American women, the death rate due to coronary heart disease in 1997 was 160.1 per 100,000, compared to 139.7 per 100,000 for white women. African American women are also more likely to have a stroke, with the estimate prevalence being 3.2% of the population compared to 1.5% for non-Hispanic white women and 1.3% for Mexican-American women. The site offers suggestions to reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (e.g., high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, high blood cholesterol, being overweight, physical inactivity and diabetes).

"Many of the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease can be reduced or avoided with lifestyle modifications," said Wanda Jones, Dr.P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health and Director of the HHS Office on Women's Health, which sponsors the NWHIC website. " "For Your Heart" provides health links, diabetic recipes, helpful tips, and warning signs for heart attack and stroke to help women make decisions about changing their health behaviors."

The HHS Office on Women's Health used the American Heart Association as a content source on this project. The association, the nation's most trusted source of cardiovascular disease information, has also provided a link to its women's Web site, "Take Wellness to Heart" (http://women.americanheart.org).

NWHIC is the only combined comprehensive health Web site and hotline service offered by the federal health agencies. It is designed to provide information on how women are uniquely affected by health concerns that threaten the general population, as well as on health issues that are exclusive to women. Other special features include a site for women with disabilities, pregnancy, nutrition and body image, a general Spanish-language section, a section devoted to the health concerns of women of color, and a section on men's health designed to help women better understand the health issues of the men in their lives.

The HHS Office on Women's Health provides national leadership in advancing women's health. It acts as a catalyst for new national and regional initiatives to improve women's health, including support for 16 National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health that serve as models for integrated and comprehensive women's health care services and research.

The American Heart Association spends more than $300 million a year on research support, public and professional education, and community programs. With more than 4 million volunteers, it is the largest voluntary health organization fighting heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, which annually kill more than 959,000 Americans

The new "tailored communications," technology was developed by MicroMass Communications, a pioneer in relationship marketing tools and personalized information health programs.

Media Note: Representatives from the Office on Women's Health and Nita Booth are available for interviews upon request.

Note: HHS press releases are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.hhs.gov.