Cardiovascular Disease Screening Project Beneficial in Black Women

A community cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening program for Black women is associated with improved diet, increased exercise, and weight loss, according to study results presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2023 conference, held from March 4 to 6, 2023, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The 10,000 Women Project involved primary CVD screening in the Atlanta, Georgia, area from the Emory Women’s Heart Center from 2015 to 2018.

Researchers obtained participant data regarding sociodemographics, CVD risk factors, physical activity, dietary assessment, and medical comorbidities. Measurements of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight, body mass index (BMI), and cholesterol were also recorded.

Participants received cardiovascular health education and a 6-month follow-up phone consultation.

A total of 945 Black women were included (mean age, 51±14 years), with a mean BMI of 32±7. Two-thirds of the participants (n=623) were medically insured and 39% were clinically obese.

Mean systolic blood pressure was 133±20 mm Hg and mean diastolic blood pressure was 82±12 mm Hg. The participants had normal mean cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 105±38 mg/dL; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 60±17 mg/dL) and triglyceride levels (128±80 mg/dL), and the 10-year atherosclerotic CVD score was 7.1%.

At 6 months, 18% of 362 patients had weight loss of 10±7 lbs. The participants also had increased exercise (22.4%), improved diet (22.7%), and decreased salt intake (19.7%). In addition, 21.4% of the women sought primary care and 19.4% self-measured their blood pressure after the initial screening.

This article originally appeared on The Cardiology Advisor