The Impact of Diabetes Education and Post Discharge Interventions for African American Adults at Risk for and After Myocardial Infarction

Cardiovascular disease or CVD refers to a multitude of conditions that affect both the heart and blood vessels. Being the leading cause of death in the United States, heart disease claims 919,032 lives; the risk of death becomes more likely when accompanied with comorbidities like diabetes (CDC, 2024). While heart disease is a leading cause of death across all populations, it accounts for a larger proportion of deaths in African American, or AA, adults at 22.6% compared to White adults at 18.0% and Hispanic adults at 11.9%, highlighting persistent racial disparities in cardiovascular outcomes (CDC, 2024). Diabetes as a comorbidity is one of the risk factors of experiencing a myocardial infarction or MI, which remains one of the leading causes of death among individuals with diabetes. The research will accomplish providing both the African American population with more information, in addition to ensuring healthcare workers have the tools to navigate the interactions with this population to achieve better overall wellness outcomes. Equally important, the research will help to answer the question of why these gaps are present, and how certain realities affect this group so disproportionately.