US Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill Addressing South Asian Heart Disease Risk

Washington — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has reintroduced legislation aimed at increasing federal research, public awareness and culturally appropriate programs to address the disproportionately high incidence of heart disease among South Asian Americans.

Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Joe Wilson and Senator Cory Booker introduced the South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act, according to a congressional release carried by CQ.

The measure would authorize the U.S. health secretary to provide grants to states for programs focused on communities disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease.

“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,” Jayapal said.

“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,” she said.

Wilson said the legislation would expand research and education for communities facing higher risks.

“Heart disease disproportionately affects certain populations such as the South Asian community, and this bill will expand research and education to benefit those communities,” he said.

“I am grateful that this bipartisan bill passed the House in multiple previous Congresses, and I look forward to its final passage into law,” Wilson added.

Booker said the measure would direct research funding toward risk factors that have received insufficient attention.

“Heart disease is taking South Asian Americans from their families at rates the medical community still doesn’t fully understand,” Booker said.

“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,” he said.

The lawmakers said South Asians in the United States face four times the risk of heart disease compared with the general population. The community includes people who immigrated from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, as well as their families.

Nearly two-thirds of middle-aged South Asian Americans face an intermediate or high risk of heart failure within the next 10 years, according to the release.

The lawmakers also said South Asians make up about 25 percent of the global population but account for 60 percent of heart disease cases worldwide and more than half of cardiovascular deaths.

They cited gaps in federal health data, saying research agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services do not adequately separate medical data for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, making it difficult to examine outcomes specifically among South Asian Americans.

Under the bill, states could use federal grants to develop culturally appropriate materials on nutrition, diet and regular exercise. Community organizations serving populations affected by heart disease could also receive support for health-promotion activities.

The grants could also fund conferences and workshops intended to increase participation by underrepresented communities in scientific research. The health secretary would be required to report to Congress on grant activities and data collected through the programs.

Funding would be authorized through 2028.

The legislation is co-sponsored by Representatives Nanette Barragan, Brian Fitzpatrick, Henry Johnson, Ro Khanna, Adam Smith, Suhas Subramanyam and Shri Thanedar. Supporters include the American Heart Association, Indian American Impact and several South Asian medical and public health organizations. (Source: IANS)