Roadmap for State Program Planning: Collect Resources and Data

• Establish Partnerships
• Define and Document
• Research and Assess

Define and Document
Introduction

The burden of HDS must be well defined in the state's HDS Burden document. The burden document should be used as a tool to—

• Increase public awareness of HDS as a public health priority.
• Mobilize partners to address HDS in a comprehensive manner.
• Support the commitment of resources to promoting heart disease and stroke prevention.

What to Do

The data in the burden document will provide a basis for developing the State HDSP Plan and identifying general and priority populations and strategies. The burden document should communicate data in ways that are appropriate for different audiences, including community groups, state leaders, and decision makers. It should describe the burden of HDS and related risk factors and conditions.

The HDS burden document should include—

• Trends in heart disease and stroke health outcomes, including changes in rates of deaths, average age at onset of disease, and average age at death.
• Geographic and demographic distribution of heart disease and stroke outcomes.
• Disparities in the prevalence of heart disease and stroke in general and priority populations.
• Risk factors by race, ethnicity, gender, geography, age and socioeconomic status.
• A summary or interpretation of the burden information.
• BRFSS data trends (both core and HDSP modules).

How to Do It

The state epidemiologist and vital statistics liaison in your state can help collect and analyze data from state and national levels, which can then be integrated into a comprehensive assessment of the HDS burden. The integrated data can be used to plan interventions and monitor state level changes.

HDS data should be collected using existing data sources such as—

• BRFSS modules on Hypertension Awareness, Cholesterol Awareness and Cardiovascular Disease. This data is collected in odd years (e.g., 2003, 2005, 2007, etc.).
• The module on Heart Attack and Stroke Signs and Symptoms. This should be done a minimum of every four years, beginning in 2005.
• State and county level data.

The BRFSS modules on hypertension awareness, cholesterol awareness, cardiovascular disease, and heart attack and stroke signs and symptoms should be part of the state BRFSS survey. The sample size should be large enough to gather statistically adequate responses for general and priority populations, including racial and ethnic groups.