In a national effort to help prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Million Hearts® campaign encourage physicians to talk to their patients about blood pressure – and, if high, to help them make control their goal.

According to the CDC, nearly one in three American adults has high blood pressure – and half don’t have it under control. High blood pressure leads to heart disease and stroke, the first and fifth leading causes of death in the U.S.

Physicians should discuss not only medical ways of controlling high blood pressure, but also help their patients make healthy choices that can reduce the need for medical treatment. Million Hearts encourages a target focus on these “ABCs”:

For more information and resources about Heart Month, visit the CDC webpage at www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth.