Author: Amy Dominello Braun
DHHS has launched a new stroke prevention campaign encouraging people to take small steps to improve their health and prevent stroke and heart disease.
April 17, 2019 – May is Stroke Awareness Month and a new Division of Public Health stroke prevention campaign, Small Steps, Bright Future, focuses on preventing stroke among African Americans who are at a disproportionate risk for stroke.
Small Steps, Bright Future highlights endearing moments that could be missed if a person suffers from health complications related to stroke and heart disease.
After decades of decline, stroke deaths have begun rising in adults 35 and older in North Carolina. Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability and the fourth leading cause of death in North Carolina.
About 298,000 North Carolinians will have a stroke in their lifetime and up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The campaign encourages people to make behavior changes that can prevent stroke and heart disease. The Campaign drives viewers to startwithyourheart.com for links to resources to support making small steps toward preventing stroke. Those small steps include:
• Eating more fruits and vegetables
• Preparing more meals at home
• Re-thinking your drink
• Right-sizing portions
• Moving more every day
• Limiting screen time
• Monitoring your blood pressure
• Quitting tobacco use
• Taking a diabetes prevention or management class
The campaign was developed by an advertising agency for DPH’s Community and Clinical Connections for Prevention and Health Branch (CCCPH) and the Stroke Advisory Council. Television, radio and digital ads begin airing in mid-April and will run through the end of June in eastern North Carolina.
For more information and resources to share, visit startwithyourheart.com.