ORIGINAL PAPER Cardiovascular Disease Urban Intervention: Baseline Activities and Findings Elsbeth Kalenderian Æ Cheryl Pegus Æ Charles Francis Æ Norma Goodwin Æ Henock Saint Jacques Æ Damaris Lasa Æ Members of the American Heart Association Health Disparities Committee Published online: 3 April 2009 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009 Abstract Regular exercise, good dietary habits, knowl- edge of the disease and its warning signs as well as ability to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) are all important to prevent and combat Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Stroke. In 2005–2006, an AHA sponsored ‘‘Search Your Heart’’ cardiovascular disease intervention was conducted in 388 urban African-American/black and Latino/Hispanic faith based institutions, all churches of various denominations, to improve members’ knowledge and preparedness about CVD and stroke. The intervention involved (a) distribution of a customized multi-component CVD and stroke related educational and skill development package to 388 ‘‘ambassadors’’ for all participating churches, (b) AHA staff coordinated educational sessions for the ambassadors and (c) 211 Ambassadors coordinating the conduct of at least one CVD educational activities in their churches. In May 2006, a written survey was dis- tributed to 211 ambassadors affiliated with the Heritage affiliate of AHA, which covers New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island and New York City, to: (a) assess the inter- vention’s effect, and (b) plan and implement a targeted forward intervention approach based on findings. Survey questions addressed regular exercise, healthy eating, dis- ease knowledge, and warning signs and ability to perform CPR. Keywords Cardiovascular disease Á Stroke Á Public knowledge Á Public preparedness Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States accounting for nearly 40% of all annual deaths. More than 870,000 Americans die of car- diovascular diseases each year, which is 1 death every 36 s. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States with 150,000 deaths in 2004, or on average one death every 3–4 s and the leading cause of serious, long- term disability. The risk factors associated with CVD and Stroke are well established and include smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, Atrial Fibrillation (for Stroke), insufficient physical activity, high cholesterol, family his- tory of stroke or heart disease and being older or male. However more females die of CVD and Stroke than men. Significant racial and ethnic health disparities exist in the United Stated for black and Hispanic males and females suffering from CVD. The 2004 prevalence for CVD for E. Kalenderian (&) Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA e-mail: elsbeth_kalenderian@hsdm.harvard.edu C. Pegus LifeScan, Inc. USA, a Johnson & Johnson Company, 200 Lawrence Drive, West Chester, PA 19380, USA C. Francis 190 N Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106-1572, USA N. Goodwin Health Power for Minorities, 3020 Glenwood Road, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA H. S. Jacques North General Hospital, 1879 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10035, USA D. Lasa American Heart Association, 122 East 42nd Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10168-1898, USA 123 J Community Health (2009) 34:282–287 DOI 10.1007/s10900-009-9159-3