Study of Women's Cardiovascular Public Health Initiatives and Program Evaluation

Abstract

The leading cause of death for women across the United States is cardiovascular disease, a broad term that can encompass many different ailments. Vulnerability and severity of the disease is often made worse by factors such as race, socioeconomic status, and geographic location; this often results in worse outcomes after a diagnosis of heart disease, specifically for poorer women of color. The goal of this project was to better understand the factors that influence women’s heart disease in order to propose a successful public health initiative might look like in order to positively influence the women in the community. Current programs, both public and private, have significant shortcomings such as accessibility, lack of educational resources, or insufficient rates of public engagement. This study included an evaluation of several existing programs, government-funded and non-government funded, in order to find the most common deficiencies or limitations. An in-depth organizational case study analysis was conducted as well, of a successful program located in southern Florida, the Women’s Breast and Heart Institute (WBHI). After analyses of these programs, I developed a proposal featuring aspects of the WBHI model, as well as novel suggestions, to be implemented in already-existing programs in order to reach at-risk women in the most efficient way possible.