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Black and Hispanic adults have higher prevalence of heart failure than white adults, and Black women have the highest prevalence of heart failure across racial and ethnic groups.
People living with heart failure may face food insecurity (lack reliable access to affordable nutritious food) and transportation challenges and may have less access to medications, education and health services, which can impact their health and ability to manage the condition.
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Stop one content
Over 23% of Black households and almost 22% of Hispanic households in the U.S. experienced food insecurity in 2023, leaving more than 8 million households without access to healthy, nutritious food.
BARRIERS TO CARE
The Inconvenience Store highlights the challenges Black and Latina women with heart failure face when trying to access nutritious food and aims to better equip healthcare professionals to have these critical conversations with their patients. Each added obstacle may keep women with heart failure from managing and prioritizing their heart health.
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Grid Stop One
Finding the energy to grocery shop may be harder for women with heart failure.
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Stop Two content
Nearly 17 million Black Americans live in counties with limited or no access to cardiology specialists. Over 2 million live in counties with no cardiologist at all (cardiology deserts).
Women living with heart failure may face transportation issues when attending their appointments, including expensive parking and difficulty finding childcare. It’s important to consider potential roadblocks and work with each individual to create a care plan that works for them.
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Departure |
Destination |
Total Travel Time |
|---|---|---|
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Simone’s Home |
Cardiologist |
2h14min |
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Jenny’s Home |
Specialty Care Unit |
2h14min |
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Maria’s Home |
Cardiologist |
2h22min |
Video
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Sometimes APPOINTMENTS have to fit with life’s RESPONSIBILITIES.
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“Some of the women I see are single moms. They may be working 2 or 3 jobs and taking care of a young child on top of that—or elderly family. These women are getting squeezed in the middle. A lot of them find it challenging to have appropriate follow-up; we need to support them with better ways of treatment.”
Cardiologist
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“It took me more than 1 hour to get to the cardiologist, one-way. And let me tell you…it becomes a time management problem. I had a window of 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to have my appointment. Anything earlier or later, and traffic becomes a problem—a big one. And with water retention? Somebody’s gonna have to get me to the bathroom, quick!”
Living with heart failure since 2021
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- Understand the obstacles they might face when traveling to appointments and discuss solutions on how they can plan ahead, including leaving home earlier or asking for a ride from a care team member.
- Encourage the scheduling of appointments in the same building or area on the same day, to minimize travel.
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Stop Three content
Nearly 6 in 10 Latino adults have had a difficult time communicating with a healthcare professional because of a language or cultural barrier, and when they do, they often turn to outside sources for help.
Women living with heart failure may have varying levels of understanding when it comes to their medical condition. Taking time to ensure they understand next steps in their care can help these women feel empowered to manage their condition. Discover alternative ways to discuss key heart failure terms to ensure overall comprehension below.
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Compromised weak heart
What is it? A chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs for oxygen and other nutrients.
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Heart's pumping ability
What is it? A measurement of how much blood the heart pumps out with each contraction.
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Shortness of breath
What is it? The feeling of shortness of breath when you can’t get enough air into your lungs.
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Swelling
What is it? Swelling caused by too much fluid trapped in the body's tissues.
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Sometimes health literacy is about
ASKING QUESTIONS.
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“The most confusing thing for me was the diagnosis itself. When you hear ‘heart disease,’ that can mean so many different things, and I didn’t understand the different types. It took me a while to figure out what questions to ask my doctor.”
Living with heart failure since 2015
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- Allow time at the end of each visit to address questions from individuals and make sure they understand next steps.
- Consider sharing resources, like our Ultimate Guide to Care, where individuals can learn more about managing their heart failure care.
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Download these helpful resources to learn valuable professional insights from expert cardiologists.
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Learn about the nutrition, transportation and health literacy barriers that Black and Latina women may face when receiving heart failure care.
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Explore ways to implement guideline-based practices that can help improve heart failure care.