Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of American women with African-American women disproportionately represented in the number of women who die of heart disease every year. High dietary fat consumption is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the dietary risk for the development of cardiovascular disease, readiness to change, and intervention strategies to decrease dietary cardiovascular risk in African-American women. One hundred women from the greater Los Angeles area participated in a community dietary survey and 11 women participated in two focus groups. Sixty five percent of the women in the survey self-reported to be consistently avoiding high fat food with another 25% planning to avoid high fat food within one to six months. Although 90% of the sample was currently avoiding or planning to avoid high fat foods, 77% were consuming diets with over 30% of calories from fat. Other potential dietary risk factors for cardiovascular disease identified included low fiber, zinc, vitamin B$sb6$, magnesium, copper, and vitamin E intakes, and high sodium intakes. Ethnocultural association was the only sociodemographic variable found to be consistently related to dietary fat intake. Focus group interviews supported food as important for health in African American culture, individualized interventions as having the best chance to succeed, and nurses as important change agents within the African-American community.