Media Statement

CDC Statement: From Darwin Labarthe, M.D., Director, CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention

CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention commissioned the Institute of Medicine to prepare the report, “A Population-Based Policy and System Changes Approach to Prevent and Control Hypertension.” CDC recognizes the need to aggressively address the growing epidemic of high blood pressure among adults and children in the United States, with its risks, disparities, and costs.  We looked to the IOM committee to advise CDC and the public health community on high priority strategies to prevent and control hypertension.  We are pleased with the expert committee’s final report and the quality of work produced. This report draws attention to high blood pressure as a very serious public health problem, but one that provides great opportunity for successful intervention.

The IOM’s recommendations align with CDC’s current efforts and future goals in helping to prevent and control high blood pressure in this country. They reinforce the view that CDC’s current efforts are on target, focusing on policy and systems level changes at federal, state, and local levels to achieve the greatest health impact.

As recommended, CDC will focus its continuing efforts and collaborations - both internally and with our many state and national partners - on population-based strategies to address high blood pressure, including promoting healthy diets, reducing sodium in packaged, prepared and restaurant foods, increasing physical activity, reducing overweight and obesity, and tobacco control.  By implementing policy and environmental strategies to encourage healthy eating and active lifestyles, communities become partners in preventing and controlling hypertension.

CDC will also work to strengthen the links between community and clinical settings for long-term support of people at risk or diagnosed with high blood pressure.  CDC will work to improve the quality of preventive services and medical care, to reduce or eliminate cost barriers to treatment and life-saving medications, and to overcome population disparities in hypertension and its control.

We look forward to studying the report more fully.

Hypertension kills millions of Americans every year. Nearly one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure. Hypertension is costly; recent numbers put the direct and indirect costs for treating hypertension at $76.6 billion for 2010. African-Americans have the highest U.S. prevalence of high blood pressure, and Mexican-Americans have the poorest level of hypertension control.

For more information about hypertension, visit http://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/. To view the full IOM report, visit www.iom.edu/reducehypertension.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES