CDC National Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program

California
Capacity Building

In 2007, the California Department of Health Services received CDC funds to support a state heart disease and stroke prevention program.

Burden of Heart Disease and Stroke

• More than 1 out of 4 deaths in California are due to heart disease. (National Vital Statistics Report, 2009.)
• 64,871 Californians died from heart disease in 2006 (27.4% of total deaths in California). (National Vital Statistics Report, 2009.)
• 15,039 Californians died from stroke in 2006 (6.3% of total deaths in California). (National Vital Statistics Report, 2009.)

See the California Department of Public Health report, The Burden of Cardiovascular Disease in California: A Report of the California Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program, for more burden statistics.

• According to 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey results, adults in California reported the following risk factors for heart disease and stroke:
  
  • 25.2% had high blood pressure
  • 34.9% of those screened reported having high blood cholesterol
  • 7.6% had diabetes
  • 14.3% were current smokers
  • 59.0% were overweight or obese (Body Mass Index greater than or equal to 25.0)
  • 49.8% reported no exercise in the prior 30 days
  • 71.1% ate fruit and vegetables less than 5 times a day

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate collaboration among public and private sector partners, such as managed care organizations, health insurers, federally funded health centers, businesses, priority population organizations, and emergency response agencies.
  
• Define the burden of heart disease and stroke and assess existing population-based strategies for primary and secondary prevention of heart disease and stroke within the state.
  
• Develop and update a comprehensive state plan for heart disease and stroke prevention with emphasis on heart-healthy policies development, physical and social environments change, and disparities elimination (e.g., based on geography, gender, race or ethnicity, or socioeconomic status).
  
• Identify culturally appropriate approaches to promote heart disease and stroke prevention among racial, ethnic, and other priority populations.
  
• Use population-based public health strategies to increase public awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart diseases and stroke, the urgency of early treatment for heart disease and stroke, and the need to call 9-1-1.

State Highlights

• The California Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (HDSP) Program, in partnership with the California Project Leaders Encouraging Activity and Nutrition (LEAN), implemented a sodium awareness program to
  • Increase chronic disease program staff understanding of salt and heart disease policies and recommendations.
  • Conduct an assessment of statewide sodium policies.
  • Train health professionals, community advocates, and policy makers on the connection between salt and heart disease.
  • Develop policies focused on the community setting.
• The HDSP program supports the California Collaborative for Chronic Disease Prevention to build chronic disease health promotion and prevention capacity within local health departments statewide. The goal of this project is to link health care providers with community resources that focus on disease prevention and management of chronic conditions, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  
• The HDSP program and the California Emergency Medical Service Authority (EMSA) published and disseminated Recommendations for the Establishment of an Optimal System of Acute Stroke Care for Adults: A Statewide Plan for California. Additionally, the HDSP program, in partnership with the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, have developed a stroke registry in California to monitor the delivery of stroke care and track disease trends.
• The California Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Treatment Task Force developed a state master plan, which provides a framework for implementing strategies that address these issues in California. Specifically, the plan highlights the state’s priority areas, goals, and objectives for addressing heart disease and stroke. To ensure that partners and stakeholders understand their roles in implementing the master plan’s recommendations, the HDSP program developed a document outlining specific action steps for health care organizations, work sites, communities, and school system work sites.
• The HDSP updated Heart Disease and Stroke in California: A Report of the California Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program. The report includes data about the prevalence and burden of disease across California and within subsets of the population. The report was disseminated to stakeholders and local health officers in 61 health departments across the state.

For more information, visit the California Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention program.

To view county–level data, visit our interactive map site.