LUCY S. ADUBEA
HLT 99
PROFESSOR ALEONG
02-17-15
ASSIGNMENT 1
HEART DISEASES. Heart diseases have become the leading cause of death in my community.Articles from the leading newspapers in the city, statistics from the city health department as well as the CDC tells the same tale.The heart is the size fist and the strongest muscle which controls pumps of blood around the body. Risks factors contributing to a high incidence of heart diseases in my community the Bronx are multiples: environmental, individual behavioral, and social and cultural. Environmental factors:
The Bronx county is known as the “dumping ground” due to the concentration of landfills, manufacturing, chemical, and biochemicals companies located in its nest. The hunts point industrial area is notorious for the carcinogens release in the atmosphere, the pollutants dumped in the Bronx waterway, and the trucks releasing fumes a large amount daily. This concentration of chemical waste has a negative effect on the community’s well being. Our hearts are affected by the presence of contaminants in the air we breathe, the water we drink,

and the food we eat which find their way in our blood vessels and into the heart valves. Once our blood vessels are clogged with all the “junk”, heart diseases will follow.

Behavioral factors:
The Bronx has a large concentration of poor Blacks and Hispanics people whose diet and lifestyle play a leading role in heart disease. The concentration of fast food eateries, large soda consumption, smoking are all well documented as impacting the heart in harmful way. The lack of access to healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and all ingredients to a healthy diet.
Smoking is a major risk factors for heart disease. Any amount of smoking even light or occasional smoking damages the heart and the blood vessels. Second hand smoking is also detrimental to people lives because people inhale fumes from the cigarette and are affected like smokers.
In addition there is lack of exercise. In the Bronx people are not active, many people avoid exercising because they believe it’s too hard or takes lots of time, due to that obesity rate is high which increase the incidence of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.However,even
20 to 30 minutes of exercise can make a big difference.The more we exercise,the stronger and more efficient our heart becomes pumping blood.
Sociocultural factors:
Stress
:
There is a mantra: “if you make it in New York, you can make it anywhere”. The reason is that life in the Bronx is stressful. It is hard to make a living in the