Improve Health with AHA’s Online Lessons and Toolkits

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The American Heart Association (AHA) is working to boost health improvement through a variety of online health lessons, called EmPOWERED to Serve.

EmPOWERED to Serve includes over a dozen science-based toolkits and lessons covering health education and community support. Toolkits are free and open to the public and can be reached on the EmPOWERED to Serve Health Lessons website.

“The EmPOWERED to Serve health lessons offer a way to engage and motivate communities to create a [positive] health [environment],” according to the AHA website.

Let’s dive into why these health lessons are a useful and how they can be beneficial for all!

Health Differences Among Communities

Where you live can have a big impact on your health.

In fact, our health is influenced by a variety of non-medical factors, such as the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work, and age. These conditions are known as non-medical drivers of health.

“Only 20% of a person’s health is shaped by access to quality health care, but where people live could cost them up to two decades of life,” according to the AHA.

Latinos and other overlooked communities often struggle with differences in non-medical drivers of health, such as a lack of access to health care, financial instability, food and nutrition insecurity, and housing/transportation insecurity . This endangers their health and contributes to differences in rates of health conditions from obesity and  diabetes to cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Latinos also face challenges to health including differences in language, lack of access to educational resources, and low literacy rates.

With the COVID-19 pandemic further heightening differences, it’s important now more than ever to help boost health knowledge and literacy in overlooked communities.

“Everyone deserves a just opportunity to be healthy. We should pay special attention to those facing the greatest risk of poor health,” according to the AHA.

Importance of Health Education

Southern New Hampshire University highlights the many factors impacted by health education in a community, including:

• Chronic disease awareness and prevention
• Injury and violence prevention
• Maternal and infant health
• Mental and behavioral health
• Nutrition, exercise and obesity prevention
• Tobacco use and substance abuse

With many communities experiencing health differences and incorrect information, health education and literacy are crucial for all.

“No one should have difficulty achieving their potential because of their social position or challenges that contribute to [differences],” according to the AHA.

The EmPOWERED to Serve health lessons offer a way to engage and motivate communities to create a place where there is quality healthcare for all.

Health Lessons and Toolkits

The EmPOWERED to Serve health lessons offer 12 science-based toolkits covering both health education and lift up community voices.

“These 30-minute lessons engage communities and motivate people to create an enduring [positive health environment] where the healthy choice is the easy choice,” according to the AHA.

Participants can browse and make use of health and [support] based toolkits complete with presentations, lesson plans, and  resources on a variety of health topics like diabetes, healthy food, stroke, CPR, smoke-free communities, and more.

Toolkits are available in both English and Spanish.

Videos are also available regarding the same health topics to further engage individuals in health education.

“EmPOWERED to Serve accelerates innovative solutions to eliminate [differences] in under-resourced communities caused by [non-medical drivers of health],” according to the AHA.

Find all of the health lessons, toolkits, and videos here.

How Healthy is Your Community?

Have you ever wondered what the state of non-medical drivers of health look like in your neighborhood?

Now you can explore data on health-related issues with the Salud America! Health Report Card!

Get the results and see how your county stacks up in health issues like social vulnerability, COVID-19, and healthcare.

Compare your results to other counties and states across the nation. Share the report with city leaders, organizations, and others!

GET YOUR health REPORT CARD!