Jayapal, Wilson, Booker Introduce Legislation to Combat High Rate of Heart Disease in South Asian Americans

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Joe Wilson (SC-02) and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) are reintroducing the bipartisan South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act, landmark legislation to both raise awareness about the alarming rate of heart disease for South Asians across the United States and put resources and strategies toward reversing this deadly trend for all communities.

“As the first South Asian American woman ever elected to the House of Representatives, I’m fully committed to increasing understanding of heart disease and the unique risk factors in the South Asian community while ensuring that all those living with it get the resources, treatment, and support they need,” said Rep. Jayapal. “Heart disease has been the leading cause of death for over a century, and it is even more dire in the South Asian community. The South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act is essential legislation that ensures that we have the research, resources, and treatments to prevent heart disease cases and deaths in the South Asian community and beyond.”

“Heart disease disproportionately affects certain populations such as the South Asian community, and this bill will expand research and education to benefit those communities. I am grateful that this bipartisan bill passed the House in multiple previous Congresses, and I look forward to its final passage into law,” said Rep. Joe Wilson.

“Heart disease is taking South Asian Americans from their families at rates the medical community still doesn’t fully understand,” said Senator Booker. ” This bill puts real research dollars behind the risk factors hiding in plain sight, so doctors can catch what they’ve been missing. Every community deserves to have its heart health taken seriously, not treated as an afterthought.”

Studies show that South Asians in the United States – people who immigrated from or whose families immigrated from countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal – are experiencing a dramatic rise in heart disease and face four times the risk of heart disease compared to the general population. Despite making up 25 percent of the world’s population, South Asians account for a disproportionate 60 percent of the world’s heart disease cases and over 50 percent of the world’s cardiovascular deaths. Almost two-thirds of middle-aged South Asian Americans are at intermediate or high risk for heart failure within the next 10 years, and because research agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) do not disaggregate medical data for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, it is nearly impossible to examine data on South Asian Americans.

Heart disease is widely prevalent in the United States, but is not well understood. One person in America dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease, and costs associated with heart disease in the United States — including indirect costs — exceed $500 billion annually and is projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2035. 

The South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act would authorize the HHS Secretary to make grants available to states to promote awareness of the increasing prevalence of heart disease in South Asian communities. These grants can be used to:

• Develop culturally appropriate materials on topics such as nutrition education, optimal diet plans, and programs for regular exercise.
• Support heart health promotion activities of community organizations that work with or serve communities disproportionately affected by heart disease.
• Support conferences or workshops on research practices, methodology, and design to include more members of communities disproportionately affected by heart disease in scientific studies.

The legislation also directs the HHS Secretary to submit a report to Congress on the grant activities and any data gathered related to heart disease in disproportionately impacted communities and authorizes funding for these programs through 2028.

“South Asian Americans have faced a disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease for far too long, while gaps in data, research, and culturally responsive prevention continue to limit our ability to address it. The South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act is an important commitment to changing that by investing in the evidence and community-based public health efforts needed to prevent disease and improve outcomes. SAPHA has supported this legislation for years, and we urge lawmakers to support the South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act and its efforts to expand culturally appropriate heart health education and prevention, strengthen community-based outreach, and improve research on cardiovascular disease in South Asian communities,” said Samira Khan, MPH, CHES President, South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA)

The South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act is sponsored by representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Henry Johnson (GA-04), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Adam Smith (WA-09), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) and Shri Thanedar (MI-13).

The legislation has been endorsed by the American Heart Association, the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA), El Camino Health, Indian American Impact, MASALA Study, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, the South Asian Health Initiative (SAHELI) and the South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA).

Issues: Civil Rights, Health Care