American heart Association is a non-profitable organization which incepted in 1915. “Since 1924 the American Heart Association (AHA) has been working to raise funds for Heart disease research and to generate awareness among the general public about the seriousness of these diseases.
” (Erin E. Dooley) Now the organization has a lion share in serving the people of United Sates suffering from heart diseases and stokes. The organization is working at the community level to ramp up the awareness among them.They started working from the root level and targeting school going children to eliminate or reduce obesity and to provide them with healthy foods.
“These conditions affect young and old alike, as well as every ethnic group. ” (Erin E. Dooley 2004) Function and Responsibilities of the Organization: In 1990, the cardiovascular diseases were frequently leading to the death. The disease was become so rigorous that out of 10 people 8 were carrying such disease. “In 1990, heart disease and stroke emerged as the leading causes of death worldwide and remain the first and third leading causes of death in the United States, respectively.
(Mark A. Veazie et al 2005)The main goal of an association is to create awareness among the people about the cardiovascular diseases and stokes related diseases. According to research and surveys it has been shown that 40% of deaths are due to heart diseases. “Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the United States is responsible for _40% of all deaths, more than the next 5 leading causes of death combined. ” (Mark A.
Veazie et al 2005) From past few years alone the government is spending millions and billions on reducing the rigorousness of the disease.In 2004, total CVD costs in the United States were estimated to be $368. 4 billion; these costs are expected to increase 40% to 50% by the year 2010. ” (Mark A. Veazie et al 2005) The government and the association both hand to hand are trying to cope up with the situation.
The American heart Association collects funds from different officials, profitable organizations and also through their website. Through those funds they are attaining their goal. The association has the laboratories to test products and conduct surveys in partnership with other organizations.The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) documented impressive increases in rates of awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension from 1960 to 1991.
In 1960 to 1962 and 1971 to 1974, only 16% of all people with hypertension had it controlled to <160/95 mm Hg. By 1991 64% were below this original goal. ” (Martha N. Hill 1998) From last few eras there was gap between research and implementation. The high figures were coming up from the surveys and research but the organization was not able to implement any active strategy to reduce those figures.
But now they are bridging the gap between two and striving to increase awareness and decrease the high rate of diseases. So that masses should live healthy and standard lifestyle. “Substantial advances in the secondary prevention of adverse CVD outcomes have been made by bridging the gap between guidelines and practice through programs and tools” (Mark A. Veazie et al 2005) The organization is also running American Stoke Association that is surrogating research on prevention of stoke.
Organization is responsible to control diets that have high cholesterol, saturated fat, salt, and calories.There are responsible for the products of their corporate clients. As the products is fully tested in American heart Association laboratory and approved by them that it is healthy to eat. In their policy they also stated that tobacco companies can not be mingled with them as they are on two separate ends. “The AHA will not have relationships with tobacco companies, or their corporate subsidiaries or parents. ”Subsidiary" and "parent" are defined as an entity in which there exists a 5% or greater ownership by, or of, a tobacco company.
” (http://www. ndependentsector. org/mission_market/aha. htm)Guidelines by American heart Association: In 2003, AHA furnished the community guidelines in the issue of circulation. In those guidelines, their objective is to modify the public heath approach by taking risk factors.
The same approach is taken by the doctors in the hospitals in which the level of disease have been diagnosis and they treat the high risk patient with full concentration. Through these guidelines it is possible to control the root causes of theses diseases like hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes.The AHA community guidelines use a public health approach to risk factor modification, in contrast with the high-risk approach that is used in clinical settings in which individual patients' risk levels are assessed and patients at high risk are treated intensively. This strategy has the potential to prevent first heart attacks or strokes in persons at average risk and to avoid the need for intensive pharmacotherapy to control risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. ” (Carrie Morantz et al 2003)In their issue they also stated that to promote the awareness at community level the steps should also be taken to educate people at individual level and media should also take part in it. Administrations should take prompt action to reduce the exposure of tobaccos and also educate them with the harmfulness of the tobaccos through arranging public health campaigns and public heath shows on media.
“Legislative action may be needed to protect against exposure to environmental tobacco smoke or to provide resources for public health campaigns, clinical services, or rehabilitation. ” (Carrie Morantz et al 2003)Referenceshttp://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o;d=5009956543http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/112/16/2538
