What is Heart Disease?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. In the United States, the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to heart attack. You can reduce your risk for heart disease through lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medicine.
How Does Heart Disease Affect African American Populations?
- In 2019, African Americans were 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic whites.
- Although African American adults are 30 percent more likely to have high blood pressure, they are less likely than non-Hispanic whites to have their blood pressure under control.
- African American women are nearly 50 percent more likely to have high blood pressure, as compared to non-Hispanic white women.
Diagnosed Cases of Coronary Heart Disease
Age-adjusted percentage of coronary heart disease among persons 18 years of age and over, 2021
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 5.2 | 5.6 | 0.93 |
Source: CDC 2022. National Center for Health Statistics. Percentage of coronary heart disease for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2019—2021. National Health Interview Survey. Generated interactively: Jan 04, 2023.
https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/index.html
Death Rate
Age-adjusted heart disease death rates per 100,000 (2019)
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Men | 267.5 | 210.7 | 1.3 |
| Women | 165.0 | 129.6 | 1.3 |
| Total | 208.6 | 166.4 | 1.3 |
Source: CDC 2022. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 70, No. 8. Table 10.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-08-508.pdf
Hypertension/High Blood Pressure
Age-adjusted percentage of persons 18 years of age and over who have high blood pressure, 2017-2018
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Men | 57.2 | 50.2 | 1.1 |
| Women | 56.7 | 36.7 | 1.5 |
| Total | 57.1 | 43.6 | 1.3 |
Source: CDC 2022. Hypertension Prevalence and Control Among Adults: United States, 2017–2018. NCHS Data Brief, No. 364. Figure 4.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db364-h.pdf [PDF | 398.15 KB]
Percentage of persons 18 years of age and over who have high blood pressure, 2021
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 35.2 | 28.3 | 1.2 |
Source: CDC 2022. National Center for Health Statistics. Percentage of hypertension for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2019—2021. National Health Interview Survey. Generated interactively: Jan 04, 2023.
https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/index.html
Percentage of adults aged 18 and over with hypertension whose blood pressure is under control, 2015-2016
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Men | 40.1 | 47.7 | 0.8 |
| Women | 48.5 | 57.1 | 0.8 |
| Total | 44.6 | 50.8 | 0.9 |
Source: CDC 2022. Hypertension Prevalence and Control Among Adults: United States, 2015–2016. NCHS Data Brief, No. 289. Figure 4.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db289.pdf [PDF | 361 KB]
Source: CDC 2022. Prevent High Blood Pressure. https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/prevent.htm
High Cholesterol
Age-adjusted percentage of persons 20 years of age and over who have high cholesterol, 2015-2018
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Men | 22.4 | 27.0 | 0.8 |
| Women | 21.8 | 23.1 | 0.9 |
| Total | 22.2 | 25.0 | 0.9 |
Source: CDC 2022. Health United States, 2019. Table 23. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus19-508.pdf
Percentage of adults who received a blood cholesterol measurement in the last 5 years, 2017
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 90.1 | 87.3 | 1.0 |
Source: National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query. http://nhqrnet.ahrq.gov/inhqrdr/data/query [Accessed 11/10/2022]
Cigarette Smoking
Percentage of persons 18 years of age and over who are current cigarette smoker, 2020
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 14.4 | 13.3 | 1.1 |
Source: CDC 2022. Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/index.htm
Percentage of current smokers age 18 and over who reported receiving advice from a health professional to quit smoking, 2020
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 51.3 | 49.8 | 1.03 |
Source: National Healthcare Quality Report. http://nhqrnet.ahrq.gov/inhqrdr/data/query
Risk Factors
There are several risk factors related to heart disease. Some of these risk factors are:
Diabetes - See Obesity and African Americans
Obesity and Overweight - See Obesity and African Americans
Hypertension - See Heart Disease and African Americans
High Cholesterol - See Heart Disease and African Americans
Cigarette Smoking - See Heart Disease and African Americans
Source: CDC 2022. Know Your Risk for Heart Disease. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/risk_factors.htm
Prevent Heart Disease
There are things that you can do to prevent heart disease:
Nutrition: Eat healthy diet (increase fresh fruits and vegetables and lower salt intake)
Weight: Maintain a healthy weight
Exercise: Be physically active (seek advice from your doctor)
Smoking: Do not smoke
Alcohol: Limit alcohol intake
Source: CDC 2022. Prevent Heart Disease. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/prevention.htm
Prevent and Manage Blood Pressure
There are things that you can do to prevent and manage your blood pressure:
Nutrition: Eat healthy diet (increase fresh fruits and vegetables and lower salt intake)
Weight: Maintain a healthy weight
Exercise: Be physically active (seek advice from your doctor)
Smoking: Do not smoke
Alcohol: Limit alcohol intake
Last Edited: 09/22/2023