Rapper & Activist Breaks Down Heart Health in the Black Community”

Photo credit: Getty In 2021 alone, more than 930,000 deaths in the United States were due to cardiovascular disease, which equates to 1 in every 4 deaths. At the top of this list are Black adults, who continue to be disproportionately affected, according to recent studies. The good news, however, is that heart disease is highly preventable with the proper lifestyle adjustment. Aware of this, The CDC Foundation launched the “Live to the Beat” campaign to provide culturally-relevant health education content surrounding cardiovascular health. In its second year, the campaign, which recently leverage the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, American Heart Month and Black History Month, shined a spotlight on the steps people can take to improve their heart health at a special event in Atlanta hosted by rapper and activist Killer Mike. “CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention recognizes addressing cardiovascular disease among Black adults in the United States is urgent,” says Booker Daniels, health communication team lead, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at CDC. ‘Live to the Beat’ is an important consumer-focused effort that encourages people to take smalls steps to lower their risk for heart disease and stroke.” Blackdoctor.org sat down with the...