Women and Heart Disease
Hospital Name GOES RED!
A New Campaign by the American Heart Association Is Helping Women Become More Aware of the Dangers of Heart Disease
When women think of someone having a heart attack, they usually believe that men are much more in danger. But contrary to popular perception, heart disease is a serious medical concern for women. Indeed, studies show that heart disease is the #1 threat to a women’s health. Only 1 in 30 women will die of breast cancer; in contrast, heart disease causes the death of 1 out of every 3 women.
Here are some more sobering statistics:
- 8,000,000 American women are currently living with heart disease
- 42% of women who have a heart attack die within the year, compared to 24% of men.
- Under age 50, women’s heart attack as twice as likely to be fatal than men
- Almost 2/3 of the deaths from heart attacks in women occur in those who have no history of chest pain
To help raise awareness among women about the dangers of heart disease, the American Heart Association recently launched Go Red For Women. This nationwide campaign is empowering women with the knowledge they need to take positive action and reduce their risks for heart disease to live strong and healthy lives. The campaign provides several useful tools for women who want to embrace a healthy and active lifestyle. Choose To Move is a 12-week program and online community specifically designed to inspire women and help them reap the benefits of a physically active lifestyle. Cholesterol Low Down is a national awareness program that helps women understand how they can maintain and achieve healthy cholesterol levels. Know Your Numbers is a handy chart that helps women determine their risks and track the progress they make on achieving healthy numbers on everything from cholesterol to blood pressure. Finally, Heart of Diabetes is a 12-week activity program designed to help diabetic women make the necessary changes to their lifestyle to promote a long and healthy life.
More information on all of these programs is available at the “Go Red For Women,” web site: www.goredforwomen.org.
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