Heart disease is the leading cause of death around the world. It includes problems like heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and more. And many of the risk factors—like obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol—start long before symptoms appear.
Public health researchers are working hard every day to stop these problems before they start. At the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, scientists are leading efforts to understand why heart disease happens and how to prevent it—starting from childhood and lasting through adulthood.
Take the Bogalusa Heart Study. This landmark study is one of the longest-running epidemiological investigations in the U.S., focused on a biracial, semi-rural community in Bogalusa, La. Over the years, more than 170 individual sub-studies have reviewed data from over 12,000 children and adults, influencing public health policies and preventive healthcare practices.
Dr. Wei Chen is one of the heart study researchers leading several long-term studies that follow people from childhood to adulthood. These studies are helping scientists understand how early-life exposures—like secondhand smoke, poor nutrition, or even genetics—shape heart health later in life.
Professor of Epidemiology Dr. Lu Qi is a powerhouse researcher whose work often leads to practical, achievable outcomes. For example, one his studies found that something as simple as climbing five flights of stairs each day [https://sph.tulane.edu/walking-more-five-flights-stairs-day-can-cut-ris… lower your risk of heart disease by 20%. That’s the power of prevention.
His research has also shown how social conditions, such as stress, lack of healthcare access, and economic hardship, play a major role in why some groups—especially Black adults—are more likely to die from heart disease. Public health doesn’t just treat disease; it also works to fix the root causes.
Thanks to this kind of research, we now know that heart disease can start early, but it’s also preventable. Public health gives us the tools to fight back—with education, better care, and smarter policies.
Public health is reducing cardiovascular disease. It’s the science behind healthy hearts, and the action behind stronger communities. Whether it's climbing stairs, changing school lunch menus, or creating better guidelines for doctors, public health is working every day to protect our most important muscle—our hearts.
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