Improving American Indian Heart Health Through Community Research

In this video, Amanda Fretts, PhD, MPH, Jason Deen, MD, and Marie Gross, RN, MPH, discuss the continuing impact of the Strong Heart Study in American Indian communities — and encourage American Indians to get involved in clinical research. The Strong Heart Study (SHS) is a long-term study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors among American Indians. Figuring out how common — and how serious — CVD is among American Indians has been challenging. This is partly because old, unreliable data suggested that American Indians have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke than other groups. The SHS was designed to estimate the number of CVD cases among American Indians in Arizona, Oklahoma, and the Dakotas — and their outcomes. The SHS also tracks both known and suspected CVD risk factors. This video is by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Amanda Fretts, Dr. Jason Deen, and Marie Gross are SHS investigators. They are also Native Americans — all from different tribes. Learn more: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/strong-heart-study-shs Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nih_nhlbi Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHLBI