Framing cardiovascular health in rural communities: Views on barriers and resources among older and younger Hispanics using photovoice

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US. This is also true among the rural Latino population. More research is needed to determine basic levels of awareness, knowledge, and behaviors concerning CVD among this population and what the most effective strategies are to promote heart health. This project collected information on the perceptions of cardiovascular disease risks and knowledge of prevention information among a mixture of younger and older rural underserved populations living in Illinois. Data was collected utilizing Photo Based Inquiry (PBI) - a community based research method which uses photography as a means to document community concerns as perceived by the people they impact, to generate dialogue about these concerns and to influence policy. Specifically, 15 older and younger rural Latinos were recruited as participant photographers and asked to take pictures answering the following 2 questions: 1.What are some problems/barriers to having ‘healthy hearts' in this community; and, 2. What are some ways or programs that could be developed to promote having ‘healthy hearts' in this community? A series of community meetings were held with the photographers who discussed the implications of their pictures for creating healthy hearts in their community. Differences in the perceptions, knowledge and understanding of cardiovascular disease were noted from the pictures and the discussions. A set of recommendations for the community were presented to the community health advisory board and a series of dissemination strategies based on the project's findings were implemented including displays at the community health fair.