Free program helps Vietnamese American seniors get blood pressure under control

According to the California Health Interview Survey, more than 27% Vietnamese American adults in Orange County, CA have high blood pressure and many more may be at risk.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, with support from Supportive Care Services Foundation, has launched the Check. Change. Control. community program in Westminster, CA to help Vietnamese American seniors identify, lower and maintain healthy blood pressure levels.

Through the initiative, participants are matched with volunteer mentors and given resources to help them to reach their blood pressure goals. As part of the free program, participants check their blood pressure regularly with the help of American Heart Association volunteers and public health interns. Their mentors monitor their results and support them in lowering their blood pressure through phone calls, texts, email or face-to-face meetings. Participants and mentors use the American Heart Association’s online health tracking tool, Heart360 to check progress.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is when blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg or higher. It affects one in three Americans and disproportionally impacts Vietnamese Americans.

“Your most critical health number could be the one you can’t see or feel,” says Dr. Nathan Wong, American Heart Association Ambassador and Director of Heart Disease Prevention at University of California, Irvine . “High blood pressure is often called a silent killer because it’s easy to overlook or ignore until it’s too late. Optimal control of blood pressure is critical for reducing one's risk of heart disease and stroke.”

High blood pressure is the most common risk factor for heart disease and stroke, our nation’s number 1 and number 5 killer. In the Vietnamese community in Orange County it’s the number 2 and number 3 killer. Among Vietnamese in Orange County, high blood pressure rates have increased significantly in the last 5 years from 11% to 27%. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is an independent risk factor for heart disease and stroke, but even a 5 mmHg decrease in blood pressure can reduce mortality due to heart disease and stroke by 9% and 14% respectively.

“High blood pressure is killing our communities and we have to get it under control,” said Cevadne Lee, Director of Asian American & Pacific Islander programs at American Heart Association. “People are having heart attacks, strokes and other major health issues because of uncontrolled blood pressure. Through Check. Change. Control., we are not just providing knowledge and resources, but also, through the volunteer mentor, a personal connection to motivate people to keep their blood pressure controlled to healthy levels.”

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association is piloting this program in more than 50 cities across the country. Preliminary results from the initial Check. Change. Control. communities show that for those who began the study with blood pressure higher than 150/90 mmHg, systolic pressure (top number) decreased by 24.2 mmHg and diastolic pressure (bottom number) decreased by 10 mmHg. Eventually, 70 percent of participants had a blood pressure lower than 140/90 or a 10 mmHg decrease in systolic pressure.

The initiative is one way the Association and its volunteers are working toward the overall goal of improving cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent by the year 2020.

WHAT: Check. Change. Control^TM Launch

WHEN: Monday, August 8, 2016, 10 a.m.

WHERE: Supportive Care Services Foundation, 13800 Arizona Street, Suite 101, Westminster, CA 92683

For more information about Check. Change. Control. In Orange County, contact Cevadne Lee at (949) 856-3555 or cevadne.lee@heart.org. For information about high blood pressure, visit www.heart.org/hbp.

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About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the American Stroke Association

The American Stroke Association is devoted to saving people from stroke — America’s No. 4 killer and a leading cause of serious disability. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent, treat and beat stroke. The Dallas-based association was created in 1997 as a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-888-4STROKE or visit strokeassociation.org.

About the American Heart Association’s Multicultural Initiatives

The American Heart Association’s Multicultural Initiatives ensure that we are reaching all Americans to help identify and overcome barriers to reaching ideal cardiovascular health. Outreach to diverse communities is critical to these efforts. Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. The highest mortality rates for these diseases are found in diverse populations. Our goal is to reduce health disparities in diverse communities by providing valuable resources and life-saving education. To learn more about the American Heart Association and Health Equity programs, call (949) 856-3555 or visit heart.org.