NFL Legend Jerome Bettis Joins CDC Foundation’s “Live to the Beat” Campaign to Tackle Heart Health in Black Community

The CDC Foundation has enlisted former NFL star Jerome "The Bus" Bettis to support its "Live to the Beat" campaign, which aims to reduce cardiovascular disease risk among Black adults ages 35-548.

Bettis shares his personal connection to cardiovascular disease, including the loss of his father to a heart attack at age 61, to highlight the importance of heart health8.

The campaign focuses on primary prevention strategies, including physical activity, healthy eating, smoking cessation, and addressing key risk factors like hypertension, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar7.

Black adults in the United States experience higher rates of cardiovascular disease and hypertension compared to other racial groups. Nearly 60% of Black men and women have hypertension8.

The "Live to the Beat" campaign, launched in 2022, is CDC's first national cardiovascular disease prevention campaign developed specifically for the Black community4.

The campaign has generated over 407 million media impressions across various platforms and has shown promising early results in motivating Black adults to take steps to improve their heart health4.

The initiative includes a "Legacy of Heart Health" resource to help Black adults address stress that makes it challenging to focus on heart health8.

The campaign emphasizes the importance of self-care and challenges the negative effects of the "Strong Black Woman" trope on heart health7.

"Live to the Beat" is part of the CDC Foundation's Million Hearts® Alliance, which aims to prevent one million heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events by 20277.

The campaign collaborates with various community partners, including the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC), Black Heart Association (BHA), Girl Trek, and National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD)7.

Sources:

4. https://www.cdcfoundation.org/FY2022/national-heart-health-initiative-empowers-black-adults.html

7. https://www.cdcfoundation.org/pr/2024/Live-to-the-Beat-Heart2Heart-Challenge

8. https://www.cdcfoundation.org/pr/2025/Live-to-the-Beat-Legacy-of-Heart-Health