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American Heart Month: Cardiologist highlights need for improved prevention efforts

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Published  February 26, 2025 11:01pm EST
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Doctors fear heart disease prevention is stalling

FOX 13's Evyn Moon reports that as American Heart Month ends, healthcare professionals are concerned about stalling prevention efforts that have contributed to increased patient risks.

The Brief

    • Healthcare professionals raise concerns over heart disease prevention efforts continuing to stall nationwide, as heart disease-related deaths have continually risen since 2015.
    • Doctors say that many things, including socioeconomic factors, the rise of processed foods, and the overall bad health of Americans, are the primary sources of the increase in heart disease-related deaths over the past decade.
    • Doctors say living a healthy lifestyle and visiting your regular doctor visits can all help to prevent heart disease-related deaths.

TAMPA, Fla. - As American Heart Month ends this week, healthcare professionals reflect on the progress made in heart disease treatment and the concerning stall in prevention efforts that have increased patients' risk.

"For decades, we had seen a 4% decrease in deaths every year related to heart disease, which was positive news," Dr. Tywaun Tillman of Orlando Health said. "In recent years, we've only seen a 1% decrease each year, showing a stalled effort in combating the deadliest disease in America." 

Dr. Tillman showing FOX 13 a diagram of a heart.

Dr. Tillman showing FOX 13 a diagram of a heart.

Heart disease continues to claim the lives of one in every five Americans annually, making the awareness generated during American Heart Month all the more crucial.

Why you should care:

Tillman emphasized that people often don’t think about heart disease until symptoms appear.

Graph showing the uptick in the U.S.'s cardiovascular mortality rates ticking upwards since 2015.

Graph showing the uptick in the U.S.'s cardiovascular mortality rates rising since 2015.

"Everybody thinks about chest pain, and that's when you get concerned about heart disease," Tillman said. "The reality is, once you're having chest pain, you're probably having a heart attack or getting close to it. And at that point, it’s really too late." 

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Hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity are among the most common risk factors for heart disease. 

Despite the awareness campaigns, progress in reducing heart disease mortality has stalled, and in 2015, heart disease deaths rose for the first time, signaling a troubling trend. 

Dig deeper:

Socioeconomic factors play a major role in heart health.

FILE: heart rate being monitored.

FILE: heart rate being monitored.

Tillman pointed out that individuals with more financial resources generally have better access to healthcare and healthier lifestyles. 

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"You ask yourself, why do people who have more money live longer than those who have less? The most obvious reason is access to healthcare," Tillman said.

What you can do:

Tillman’s advice may seem simple, but it can be life-saving: eat healthy, exercise, and visit your doctor regularly.

"It remains the biggest killer of both men and women. Every one minute, two people die of heart disease. It’s very common, and all the risk factors are very common, as well," Tillman said.

While the rise of processed foods and the obesity epidemic are significant challenges, there is some good news, as smoking rates have dropped over the past several decades, leading to improvements in heart disease rates. 

Tillman stressed the importance of prevention and lifestyle changes, which can add years to life.

The Source: FOX 13's Evyn Moon collected the information in this story.

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