Q&A With American Heart Association About Blood Pressure Kits Available for Check Out at BPL
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| Kim Baldwin, VP of Health Strategies for American Heart Association. |
Birmingham, Ala. - The American Heart Association has brought its "Libraries with Heart" program to the Magic City, enabling patrons at five Birmingham Public Library locations across the city to potentially check out blood pressure kits.
The blood pressure kits - along with American Heart Association educational materials - are available for checkout at the following libraries:
In a Q&A with BPL PR Director Roy Williams, Baldwin of the American Heart Association shared statistics that showcase why making blood pressure kits easily accessible is so important. She is especially excited about the Libraries with a Heart program kicking off in Birmingham as this is the 100th anniversary of the American Heart Association.
BPL: How did this collaboration with BPL come about in which 5 of our libraries will now be able to make blood pressure kits available for checkout to our patrons.
Baldwin: Libraries serve as an integral part of the community and are essential to the patrons they serve. They provide patrons with valuable skills, knowledge, resources, information, and link people together. Libraries with Heart is a community-based blood pressure screening and connection to care initiative designed to help address hypertension and cardiac arrest rates in our communities.
The Birmingham Public Library is a wonderful partner to bring this service to the community. Providing access to self-measured blood pressure devices, coupled with educational materials and referral to care is an important step in the fight against cardiovascular disease and poor health outcomes.
BPL: On a personal note, due to genetics in which both of my parents have high blood pressure, I check my blood pressure via home blood pressure kit daily. What impact do you hope making these kits available for checkout can have in terms of addressing this health challenge?
Baldwin: The fact that you’re taking charge of your own health is amazing. More people should follow your lead! About 42% of Alabamians are diagnosed with high blood pressure, but many more are living with high blood pressure and don’t even know it.
Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, heart attack, stroke, kidney damage, among other health conditions. By increasing awareness about high blood pressure, through these kits, our hope is that patrons learn their numbers, understand the signs and symptoms for heart attack and stroke, and make sustainable lifestyle changes that positively impact their overall health.
BPL: I was surprised to learn that 42 percent of Alabamians have high blood pressure. What percentage of residents in Jefferson county and Birmingham suffer from high blood pressure - and why is it so high in our state?
Baldwin: Nationally, hypertension rates are about 28%, but in Jefferson county, about 34% are diagnosed with high blood pressure. The social determinants of health—the environments where people live, work, play, and worship—affect a wide range of health factors, including high blood pressure.
In Birmingham, 69% of residents live in a food desert, and nearly 17% live below the federal poverty level. The types of foods we eat, and the ways in which they’re prepared also play a factor. Access to quality, nutritious foods and quality healthcare are key in addressing many health-related conditions.
When people think of the AHA, heart disease and cardiovascular health might immediately come to mind, but the AHA is committed to many health factors that ultimately impact our cardiovascular risk including nutrition security, high blood pressure control, tobacco and vaping cessation, mental health and well-being, CPR and community response, and women’s health.
BPL: What advice can you offer people on how to keep their blood pressure under control?
Baldwin: You mentioned that your parents both had high blood pressure, and family history/genetics is one of the factors that cannot be controlled. Other factors outside our control include race/ethnicity, gender, increasing age, sleep apnea, and chronic kidney disease.
While these factors might increase our overall risk, they do not necessarily guarantee poor health outcomes. We have quite a bit of control in our overall health. Factors that CAN be controlled include cigarette smoking and exposure to second hand smoke, diabetes, obesity/being overweight, high cholesterol, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity.
Life’s Essential 8 is a set of key health behaviors and factors that focus on those factors we CAN control, and provides recommends for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health. More information about Life’s Essential 8 can be found at Life's Essential 8 | American Heart Association.
The AHA’s mission is to be a relentless force in a world of longer, healthier lives. Self-monitored blood pressure programs like this one, coupled with healthy lifestyle choices can lead to longer, healthier lives for all.
BPL: Anything else to add?
Baldwin: We are so thankful to Ka’ryn Davis-West (BPL Deputy Director coordinating the blood pressure checkout program) and to all of the library partners for their commitment to the community and for walking alongside us to bring this valuable resource to the community!
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