Go Red for Women!

February 6 is "Red Dress Day," dedicated to raising awareness of heart disease in women. Despite the fact that most women think cancer is the leading cause of death in women, heart disease is actually number one. Currently eight million US women are living with heart disease, and 500,000 women die from it annually. Go to www.americanheart.org to learn more.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has just published new guidelines for preventing heart disease in women, and some of them are different from prevention guidelines for men and are based on a woman's risk level for heart disease (Low risk means a woman has a less than 10 percent chance of having a heart attack in the next 10 years, intermediate risk is a 10 to 20 percent chance, and high risk is a greater than 20 percent chance.). Among the highlights:

• As for men, physical activity and healthy eating are important for women at all risk levels.
• Low-dose aspirin is recommended for women at high risk but not those at low risk.
• All high-risk women should be on heart medication.
• All high-risk women should be on statin cholesterol-lowering drugs, even if they have low LDL ("bad" cholesterol) levels.
• Antioxidants and hormone therapy do NOT help to prevent heart disease.

View the AHA's report on the new guidelines.

Supporting The Heart Truth campaign, Laura Bush and her staff celebrate the first annual National Wear Red Day in support of women's heart disease awareness, Friday, Feb. 6, 2004. The color red is worn to symbolize the commitment to fight heart disease and to educate every American about the power of prevention. White House photo by Tina Hager

On February 2, 2004, Mrs. Laura Bush hosted a women's heart health event at the White House to announce American Heart Month and to preview a number of upcoming activities designed to raise awareness of women's heart disease. Mrs. Bush highlighted elements of a Presidential Proclamation, signed by President Bush during the event, declaring February as American Heart Month and Friday, February 6, 2004, as the first annual National Wear Red Day in support of women's heart disease awareness.

The event also launched The Heart Truth Road Show, which will take off in March and travel to Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, and San Diego. Women will have the opportunity to attend a heart health exhibit and participate in a risk-factor screening program. The Road Show will provide screening for 1,000 women at every stop.

Sponsored by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services , through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, The Heart Truth is a national awareness campaign that warns women of the risk of heart disease and the need to take action against its causes. The focus of the campaign is women at mid-life, the time when their risk of heart disease starts to increase. But the message is also for women of all ages. Heart disease develops over time and can start in the teen years; and older women, even those who already have heart disease, can take action to lower their risk .

The primary message driving The Heart Truth campaign is: Heart disease doesn't care what you wear -- it's the #1 killer of women. The campaign pairs the message with an arresting visual image -- the Red Dress -- to reinforce the fact that heart disease isn't only a problem for men. Introduced in February 2003 in New York City during Fashion Week, the Red Dress symbol has ignited a desire among women, community groups and organizations to spread this lifesaving message to women across America.

The Basic Facts:

• The Heart Truth is: Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women. Yet most women don't know it.
• One in three American women dies of heart disease.
• Most women do not take heart disease seriously -- or personally.
• To have a healthy heart, it is critical to know the risk factors for heart disease. They are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, being overweight, being physically inactive, having a Family history of early heart disease, and age (55 or older for women).

For more information, visit The Heart Truth at www.hearttruth.gov

Source: In Focus - The White House

Additional links just for women:

The Heart Truth - National Hearth, Lung, and Blood Institude

WomenHeart - The National Coalation for Women with Heart Disease

Also see these ohter H4H resources:

Women and Heart Disease Fact Sheet

National Heart Month - Take It To Heart!