Heart Disease and Black Women

Heart disease is the number one cause of death for all women in the United States.³ When we look deeper into this, we see that Black women are affected in greater numbers than women in other racial groups. They are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from heart disease when compared to White women.¹ Unique to Black women, is that heart disease begins at earlier ages than has been found in women in other racial groups.¹ It is not fully understood why the onset occurs earlier in Black women.

According to the American Heart Association Black women are at increased risk for developing heart disease when other health challenges are present. They include high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, and obesity. Additional challenges include smoking, stress, and the family history of heart disease.

There are multiple factors that lead to heart disease. The factors can be genetic, lifestyle related, and social and are often intertwined. Conditions where people are born, grow, work, live, play, and age that can lead to heart disease in Black women. This means that things like income, education, job security, housing, food security, and racial discrimination are related to a higher risk developing heart disease which leads to illness and death.

So, what can Black women do? Begin by working to prevent heart disease because as with many things, prevention is key. Early detection of the disease coupled with managing the disease through blood pressure monitoring, cholesterol testing, and regular medical checkups. Additionally, making changes to lifestyles include eating a healthy diet, regularly exercising, and not smoking helps to prevent developing heart disease in the first place. This in turn lowers the risk of poor health and death due to this disease. Lastly, it is important that Black women are provided with opportunities to learn more about heart disease and how it affects their lives, how to prevent it, and when necessary, how to manage it. For more tips on how to begin some of the lifestyle changes, check out the American Heart Association’s Go Red for women page here.

1. Ogunniyi, M. O., Mahmoud, Z., Commodore-Mensah, Y., et al; Eliminating Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease for Black Women. AM J Coll Cardiol. 2022; 80(18): 1762-1771.
2. Hooks-Anderson, D. The St. Louis American. Black women and cardiovascular disease. St. Louis American. February 23, 2025. Accessed March 4, 2025. https://www.stlamerican.com/your-health-matters/black-women-and-cardiovascular-disease/.
3. Heart disease and stroke in black women. http://www.goredforwomen.org. February 27, 2025. Accessed March 4, 2025. https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/about-heart-disease-in-women/facts/heart-disease-in-black-women.