Project Overview
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among adults in the United States, taking nearly 700,000 lives in 2021 alone (CDC, 2023). Black Americans are at particular risk for dying of heart disease, with CVD accounting for 22.6% of their deaths compared to only 18% of deaths among white Americans (CDC, 2023). To combat this issue, I have created an intervention that focuses on addressing CVD in Black adults aged 20-49 in Alachua County, To narrow the focus to preventing ACE-related CVD, participants will have experienced at least 2 ACEs to be included. This program will involve monthly educational seminars about a variety of CVD and ACE related topics and weekly group activities to improve cardiovascular health.
Trauma-Informed Principles, Levels of Intervention, and Program Framework
This project encompasses a number of trauma-informed principles, including empowerment, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, and gender/cultural/historical issues (SAMHSA, 2014). Participants will be informed of all project goals and activities and will be able to communicate with staff anytime via social media to ask questions. They will also be given the knowledge and skills to improve their health on their own terms. Finally, working with a marginalized group requires taking a culturally-informed approach to maximize the positive effects of the program.
The individual and community of levels of the CDC's Social-Ecological Model will be targeted through this intervention (CDC, 2022). Individual knowledge about and attitudes towards CVD and heart-healthy behaviors will hopefully be changed through the monthly seminars. The weekly outings will seek to connect participants to community resources that enable healthy physical activities, including parks and other recreational areas.
The 10 Essential Public Health Services will be the main framework that this intervention revolves around. The EPHS most central to this program are diagnosing and investigating roots of disease, enabling equitable access, and effective communication to inform and educate (CDC, 2023). This project seeks to further examine the link between CVD and ACE exposure, lessen CVD-related health disparities among Alachua County's Black residents, and change health behavior through clear and concise messaging.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, January 18). The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violencepr...ecologicalmodel.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, May 15). Heart Disease Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, September 18). CDC - 10 Essential Public Health Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/publicheal...lhealthservices.html
SAMHSA. (2014, July). SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. https://store.samhsa.gov/produ...-approach/sma14-4884
Comments (0)