Are You Going Red for Heart Health this February?

Bowl of fruit can be great for your heart healthFebruary happens to be American Heart Month, an important event which helps raise awareness of the number one killer in the US– heart disease. Communities and organizations will be working together throughout the month to advocate for heart healthy lifestyles and knowing the risk factors for heart disease.

Anyone who’d like to show their support of this awareness event is encouraged to wear red and speak red whenever they can this February. Organizations like the American Heart Association and WomenHeart would like everyone to know exactly what kind of impact heart disease has had on so many individuals and families around the country.

Unfortunately, this is not a subject many become familiar with until it has affected them personally. We’d like to help these groups get the word this year and hopefully (once you have read this) you will too. There are numerous events that you and your family can get involved in to help spread the word about American Heart Month.

Go Red For Women Campaign Going Strong for 10 Years

 

This special event has been celebrated each February for the last 50 years with more and more Americans joining the fight against heart disease. This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the American Heart Association’s inaugural Go Red For Women campaign. This initiative was developed to spread the message that this is not just a disease affecting men

There are now millions of women who have chosen to talk to others about this silent killer. A lot of progress has been made over the last 10 years, but there are still more than a thousand women who succumb to heart disease every day. Each person that becomes an advocate can help save a life.

Here are some of the latest statistics for women’s heart disease:

  • 42.9 million women currently have some form of cardiovascular disease (such as peripheral vascular disease).
  • 33.2 percent of women don’t get any form of regular exercise.
  • The rates of women who are overweight or obese by ethnicity:
    • 60.2% of Caucasian women
    • 79.9% of African-American women
    • 78.2% of Hispanic-American women
  • Women account for more than half the annual heart disease deaths in the US
  • Nearly half of all women who have heart attacks die within the next year compared to only a quarter of men
  • A heart attack under 50 is twice as likely to be fatal for women
  • 267,000 women die each year from heart attacks– nearly six times more than the number who succumb to breast cancer annually

Know Your Risk Factors

It’s not uncommon for people to think that because they are young and nothing feels wrong, they must be in perfect health. Unfortunately, people can suffer heart attacks seemingly out of the blue. For this reason, it’s essential that you know your risk factors. This way you can take steps to protect yourself if you are at high risk for heart disease.

A woman’s risk for heart disease depends on several factors, including:

The good news is that nearly 80 percent of heart attacks and strokes can be prevented if you know your risk factors and take action against them. This is one of the driving goals behind American Heart Month and the Go Red for Women campaign.

Special Events for American Heart Month

The following are just some of the great events that will be happening around the country this February! Please click on the links to find out more about each event:

  • The Heart of Style Tour – WomenHeart will be working with Burlington to launch the Heart of Style Tour, a country-wide initiative that’ll help increase awareness and support women’s heart health education. Learn more about this initiative here.
  • National Wear Red Day – On February 7th, people are encouraged to show their support for women fighting heart disease by wearing red.
  • Go Red Luncheons – There are luncheons and plenty of other social events dedicated to helping raise awareness in communities around the country.

Hopefully, you’ll consider joining the American Heart Association and others in their efforts to educate more people about heart disease and heart healthy activities. You could make a big difference in your own community by getting involved this year.