Experts are now examining how socioeconomic disadvantages and lifestyle factors may increase these risks. African Americans are more likely to: be sensitive to the effects of salt on blood pressure, be overweight/obese, and are more likely to have a family history of diabetes. Other factors that may compensate for the difference in the risk of arterial hypertension are: less access to healthcare and health information, lower levels of education and income, lack of resources for a healthy lifestyle, stressful lifestyle due to such as unemployment and living in neighborhoods characterized by noise, violence and poverty, smoking and diets high in salt, fat and sugar and low in vegetables and fibre. There are interventions that have been shown to reduce the impact of high blood pressure; reduce salt in the diet, make fresh fruits and vegetables more affordable and accessible, implement weight loss and exercise programs, and use medications to lower blood pressure. “The current focus of many health systems is on the direct treatment of hypertension, and while treatments are effective in reducing morbidity and mortality, they are also very expensive. Focusing efforts on primary prevention or treatment can have an impact significant on long-term costs,” says McBrien (McBrien