Photo: Mayo Clinic
Caring for our hearts means taking better care of our bodies. Unfortunately, the Back community has suffered immensely from heart disease. A 2018 research study revealed that Back people were 30% more likely to die of the chronic disease than white people. Several factors impact the high rates of heart disease found in the Black population. Some science argues that African Americans suffer from high blood pressure due to a salt-sensitive gene found in our DNA. Others believe that discrimination in the healthcare system has prevented us access to the same health benefits as our white counterparts.
Unfortunately, doctors have attempted to fight off cases of high blood pressure by treating patients with a laundry list of medications and ineffective pace-makers.
Arguably, those solutions come with even greater health risks. Passively taking medication can even keep us bound to them forever, without ever treating the chronic disease.
Fortunately, Black doctors like Preventive Cardiologist LaPrincess Brewer are making changes to stop the onset of heart disease.
Brewer, who works in the Mayo Clinic’s Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, has plans to launch her innovative FAITH app that will help combat the chronic disease in Black communities.
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Black America has disproportionally been affected by heart disease to the point of what seems like no return. The American Heart Association found that African Americans fall below the belt when it comes to meeting the organization’s “Life’s Simple 7” plan, a system that promotes healthy cardiovascular health.
Fortunately, the Mayo Clinic’s Preventive Cardiologist, LaPrincess Brewer has developed a piece of technology geared toward changing that narrative.
Furthermore, her revolutionary FAITH app, which stands for the Mayo Clinic’s program called Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health, yielded successful results during a 2016 study.
Specifically, 85 African American church members in Minnesota participated in the 10-week study to discover the potentiality of the app. FAITH used several methods to measure heart health, including tracking the participant’s diet and physical activity.
Specifically, those with the preferred “LS7 score jumped from 12.5% to 54.2% over the course of using the app.” By using the LS7, several factors such as smoking, diet and blood pressure, were used to determine the chances of developing heart disease in participants.
In the end, the 2016 study yielded positive results, showing improvements in blood pressure and total cholesterol. Clearly, the FAITH app has loads of potential in helping Black communities everywhere reduce the risk of heart disease.
Dr. Brewer released the following statement on her app’s first major success: “Our results are promising in that they demonstrate the potential of mobile technologies to positively influence health behaviors that are challenging to change: diet and physical activity.” Indeed, the app is the first of its kind and will definitely change the face of heart health.
While Dr. Brewer’s smartphone app has shown positive results, it still remains in the study trial phase. Even so, FAITH has already started gaining traction in faith-based communities throughout the U.S.
Not only did the app track the potential of a participant’s risk of developing heart disease, it also allowed them to share their experiences with others. Thus, news of the app spread through word-of-mouth, essentially promoting the health device.
Furthermore, Dr. Brewer and her colleagues hope to expand the FAITH app to urban and rural areas of Black communities. Even better, they have plans to take the app nationwide and even overseas. It won’t be long now before Google Playstore features the FAITH app.
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