Statistics show that African-Americans and Hispanics/Latinos have a higher risk for cardiovascular disease than Caucasians and are less aware of their cardiovascular risk factors.

Research studies reveal that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for African-American males and females age 20 and older.

The American Heart Association’s Search Your Heart program is a community-based educational program/tool to reach high-risk audiences. Search Your Heart delivers knowledge and action steps to encourage people to act upon this knowledge and reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke.

Since its inception in 1996, over 15,000 churches across the country have participated in the Search Your Heart program and it has reached over 1.5 million at-risk participants. By empowering these individuals with information, the program shows how to take necessary steps to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, including making healthy lifestyle changes and developing heart-healthy habits.