A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke

Updated July 2003

Introduction

Purpose of the plan: To chart a course for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and collaborating public health agencies, with all interested partners and the public at large, to help in promoting achievement of national goals for preventing heart disease and stroke over the next two decades-through 2020 and beyond.

	On this Page Introduction Contributing Partners View/Download the Executive Summary and Overview View/Download the Full Report Order the Report

Heart disease and stroke are among the nation's leading causes of death and major causes of disability, and these conditions can be expected to increase sharply as this country's "baby boom" generation ages. Yet these conditions are largely preventable. As expressed in the Steps to a HealthierUS initiative from Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson, the long-term solution for our nation's health care crisis requires embracing prevention as the first step. To reverse the epidemic of heart disease and stroke through increasingly effective prevention, action is needed now.

A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke addresses this urgent need for action. Key partners, public health experts, and heart disease and stroke prevention specialists came together to develop targeted recommendations and specific action steps toward achievement of this goal, through a process convened by CDC and its parent agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

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Contributing Partners

The special contributions of the following partners to development of A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke, through representation in the Working Group or Expert Panels, is gratefully acknowledged:

• American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) 
• Association of State and Territorial Directors of Health Promotion and Public Health Education (ASTDHPPHE), ASTHO 
• Cardiovascular Health Council, Chronic Disease Directors, ASTHO 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
• Chronic Disease Directors (CDD), ASTHO 
• Health Canada 
• Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada 
• International Stroke Society 
• National Association of County and City Health Officials 
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), HHS 
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, HHS 
• National Stroke Association 
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of Public Health and Science, HHS 
• Prevention Research Centers Program, CDC, HHS 
• World Health Organization 

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View/download the publication by sections

One or more of the following files are available in Portable Document Format (PDF). Learn more about PDFs.

Errata: A correction has been made since printing the current version of A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke. 

On Appendix page C-6, the sentence should read—

CDC's Active Community Environments Initiative (ACES) works with partners to promote the development of accessible recreation facilities, including more opportunities for walking and cycling.

A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke: Executive Summary and Overview    HTML files PDF files Executive Summary Overview • A Comprehensive Public Health Strategy • The Challenge • The Public Health Response • The Action Plan • Fundamental Requirements • Summary Recommendations • Implementation References PDF (497K)

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A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke – Full Report    HTML files PDF files Acknowledgements/Citation A Message from the Secretary A Message from the Directors of CDC and NIH PDF (212K) Executive Summary Overview • A Comprehensive Public Health Strategy • The Challenge • The Public Health Response • The Action Plan • Fundamental Requirements • Summary Recommendations • Implementation References PDF (258K) Section 1. Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention: Time for Action • Summary • Introduction: Planning for the Prevention of Heart Disease and Stroke • Heart Disease and Stroke: Scope, Burden, Disparities, and a Forecast • Myths and Misconceptions • The Knowledge Base for Intervention • Evolution of Prevention Policy • Healthy People 2010 Goals and Objectives • The Present Opportunity References PDF (251K) Section 2. A Comprehensive Public Health Strategy and the Five Essential Components of the Plan: A Platform for Action • Summary • Introduction: A Vision of Cardiovascular Health for America • A Framework for a Comprehensive Public Health Strategy • The Three Core Functions of Public Health • Five Essential Components of the Action Plan References PDF (199K) Section 3. Recommendations: A Call to Action • Summary • Overarching Premises • Fundamental Requirements • Recommendation for the Five Essential Components of the Plan Taking Action: Putting Present Knowledge to Work Strengthening Capacity: Transforming the Organization and Structure of Pubic Health Agencies and Partnerships Evaluating Impact: Monitoring the Burden, Measuring Progress, and Communicating Urgency Advancing Policy: Defining the Issues and Finding the Needed Solutions Engaging in Regional and Global Partnerships: Multiplying Resources and Capitalizing on Shared Experience References PDF (170K) Section 4. Implementation: Mobilizing for Action • Summary • Fundamental Action Steps • Action Steps for the Five Essential Components Taking Action: Putting Present Knowledge to Work Strengthening Capacity: Transforming the Organization and Structure of Pubic Health Agencies and Partnerships Evaluating Impact: Monitoring the Burden, Measuring Progress, and Communicating Urgency Advancing Policy: Defining the Issues and Finding the Needed Solutions  Engaging in Regional and Global Partnerships: Multiplying Resources and Capitalizing on Shared Experience • Steps Toward Implementation • Review, Evaluation, and Adaptation to Future Conditions PDF (223K) Appendix A: Glossary Appendix B: National Goals and Objectives Appendix C: Profiles of the Co-Lead Agencies for the Healthy People 2010 Heart Disease and Stroke Focus Area Appendix D: Development of A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke PDF (461K) You may also download the A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke Full Report as a single PDF file. (871K)

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The Executive Summary and the Full Report (which includes the Executive Summary) are available for order. Please see the order page for details.

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This page last reviewed August 04, 2004

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