SAN DIEGO, CA—February 9, 2023—On Thursday, February 16, ACE’s Anthony Wall, will be joined by Live to the Beat’s campaign director, Kinetra Joseph to discuss the why behind this new CDC Foundation campaign as well as how health and exercise professionals play an important role in lowering heart and stroke risk in Black communities. Also joining the panel of speakers is ACE Certified exercise professional and owner of the Hip Healthy Chick, Tasha Edwards.
The panelists will unpack this unique campaign as well as barriers to physical activity and small steps Black communities can take to lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.
This free Facebook Live discussion is in observation of Black History Month and Heart Month and can be viewed live on ACE’s Facebook page.
There are many structural inequalities and health disparities that affect the Black community. Many Black Americans don’t have access to quality health and fitness related resources, with predominantly Black neighborhoods often lacking a gym or recreational center. These social determinants of health then manifest themselves in underlying health conditions like obesity, heart disease and stroke.
Panelists:
- Anthony Wall, M.S., ACE Senior Director of Global Business Development
- Kinetra Joseph, Campaign Director, Live to the Beat
- Tasha Edwards, M.S., NBC-HWC, ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Certified Health Coach, founder of Hip Healthy Chick
According to medical professionals, Black communities are at higher risk for lifestyle related disease. Some of these higher propensities and causes of these risks include:
- 30.0% of Non-Hispanic Blacks are physical inactive outside of work (CDC, 2022)
- 20.2% of Black/African American adults aged 18 and over are in fair or poor health (NHIS, 2019)
- 26.2% of Black men aged 20 and over and 19.2% of Black women aged 20 and over live with obesity (2015-2018) (U.S. Dept of Health, 2019) 56.8% of men and 57.6% of women aged 20 and over experience hypertension (2015-2018) (U.S. Dept of Health, 2019) 14.3% of Black/African American adults aged 18–64 lack health insurance coverage
- Heart disease, COVID-19 and cancer among leading causes of death for Black/African Americans: Heart Disease, Cancer, COVID-19 (CDC, 2020)
About ACE
Since 1985, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) has been the leading non-profit education and certification provider for health coaches and exercise professionals in the United States and around the world.
With more than 90,000 highly respected certified health coaches and exercise professionals, ACE Certified Professionals are on the ground daily helping people move, stay active and make lasting lifestyle behavior change to build healthier communities.
Headquartered in San Diego, ACE collaborates with public health partners to educate people of all backgrounds about the importance of physical activity and other healthy lifestyle behaviors; advocates for public policies to increase physical activity opportunities; and supports scientific research that investigates the efficacy of behavior-change interventions and the effectiveness of exercise practices and trends.
For more information visit acefitness.org/about-ace. AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE, ACE and ACE logos are Registered Trademarks of the American Council on Exercise.
Media Contact:
Bailey Hahn
Bailey@gomixte.com
619-732-0789 ext. 224