High blood pressure is the second leading cause of death in the United States, triggering more than one-third of heart attacks and almost half of heart failures each year even though it is relatively easy to prevent and inexpensive to treat. In a new report, A Population-Based Policy and Systems Change Approach to Prevent and Control Hypertension, the Institute of Medicine explores the question of how we can better reduce and control the condition. The report focuses on diet, physical activity, and other public health approaches, as well as discusses the need for health care providers to better diagnose and treat hypertension. The report will be released with a one-hour public briefing on Monday, Feb. 22.
11 a.m. to noon EST in Room 101 of the National Academies' Keck Center, 500 Fifth St., N.W., Washington, D.C. Those who cannot attend may participate via teleconference.
Participating from the committee that wrote the report:
|Contact: Christine Stencel|
National Academy of Sciences