February is 'Heart Month,' and considering that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the Latino community, it's important to spread pertinent knowledge about hypertension, heart attack and strokes.

Just 40 percent of Hispanics have their blood pressure under control, and Latinas are particularly in need of heart health education since only 1 in 3 Hispanic women are aware that heart disease is their No. 1 killer. On average, Hispanic women are likely to develop heart disease 10 years sooner than non-Hispanics, and that's greatly due to the fact that Latinas forego personal health to act as a caregiver for her family. But that selflessness can be deadly to her, and detrimental to the entire family.

"Heart disease is the number one cause of death for Latinos, but it's also the number one cause of death for African Americans and for non-Hispanic whites. Heart disease doesn't favor anyone, everyone is susceptible to it," Karen Larimer, cardiovascular expert and assistant professor of nursing at College of Science and Health, said to Latin Post. "It's impacting all ethnicities and races, and how can we address that? Well, we have to really think about determinants of health that makes someone unhealthy, like not having a healthy diet or getting lots of exercise. Or living in places where you can get exercise.

"Typically, Latinos and African Americans tend to lives in some of the poorest communities. If there aren't any safe parks or green spaces, and there's not access to fruits or vegetables that are healthy, people tend not to do as well. They tend to have more heart disease, so it has less to do with genetics, and it has more to do with the environment that you live in."

While heart disease doesn't necessarily discriminate against or target Latinos, group-wide behaviors also play a role. Behaviors include the consumption of lard, unhealthy pork products and processed food. Also, Latinos' diets worsen as they assimilate more into American culture, taking on the worse of the American tradition of fast-food. Additionally, a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association stated, Latinos born in the United States are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, when compared to those born outside of the country.

It's important to note that higher rates of abnormal hypertrophy also greatly impacts Hispanic subgroups differently, according a study prepared by cardiologist/researcher Carlos Rodriguez, M.D., MPH, of Columbia University Medical Center. The report dictated, "Different subgroups originating in different geographic areas of Latin America manifest significant differences in the way their hearts handle stress from underlying conditions or disease. It is interesting that despite these differences, a high prevalence of cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac risk was present among all the Hispanic subgroups."

"An important finding that doctors should take note of is that Hispanics are not monolithic with respect to cardiovascular risk factors," Dr. Rodriguez stated in a press release. "Different subgroups originating in different geographic areas of Latin America manifest significant differences in the way their hearts handle stress from underlying conditions or disease. It is interesting that despite these differences, a high prevalence of cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac risk was present among all the Hispanic subgroups."

More than a quarter (26.1 percent) of Hispanics reported having high blood pressure, when surveyed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a third stated that they had not taken medication to reduce risk of heart attack or stroke. By taking advantage of educational resources, more than 1 million heart attacks and strokes could be prevented by 2017.  

Millions Hearts Hispanic and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (NAHH) has worked together to develop culturally and linguistically proficient messages on heart disease and stroke. Together, they aim to "to improve the health and well-being of Hispanic communities and work with others to secure health for all." Also, Su Corazón (The Latino Heart Program) looks to foster heart-healthy lifestyles in the Latino community. The program proposes to do this by raising awareness among Latinos about heart disease risk factors, promoting healthy diets, offering comprehensive cardiovascular care and encouraging Latinos to take a more active role in their healthcare treatment. And to achieve this, the program has hosted health screenings in schools, churches and health clubs. 

"It's very scary that heart disease is the number one cause of death. But we know 80 percent of deaths due to heart disease are caused by things in our behavior ... so it's not a disease that just comes of the blue, there's actually something we can do about it," said Larimer, who wanted to remind Latin Post readers to wear red to create awareness, promote a heart healthy living, and focus on healthy behaviors throughout the year. 

Learn more about heart health from the American Health Association, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the CDC.