The first American Heart Month was declared by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. It was created to encourage Americans to join the battle against heart disease. Since 2004, February also has been the month for the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign to raise awareness of this number one killer of women.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.
While the entire month is dedicated as American Heart Month, the day of February 5th is National Wear Red Day. By wearing red on February 5th you are helping raise women’s awareness and support education on cardiovascular health.
Why should you Go Red? Heart disease is the number one killer of women, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined. Every 80 seconds, one woman is killed by heart disease and stroke. That’s 1 in 3 deaths among women each year. 80% of these deaths can be prevented with education and action. These statistics can be shocking, but building awareness is one of the best ways to fight this horrible disease.
Cardiovascular disease is also the leading global cause of death, accounting for more than 17.3 million deaths per year, a number that is expected to grow to more than 23.6 million by 2030.
While heart disease kills around 630,000 Americans each year, about 750,000 people in the U.S. have heart attacks each year. Of those, about 116,000 die. About 550,000 people in the U.S. have a first-time heart attack each year, and about 200,000 have recurrent heart attacks.
The American Heart Association gauges the cardiovascular health of the nation by tracking seven key health factors and behaviors that increase risks for heart disease and stroke. Called “Life’s Simple 7,” they are: not smoking, physical activity, healthy diet, body weight, and control of cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. You don’t have to wait until February to get a jump on Life’s Simple 7:
- Get active
- Control cholesterol
- Eat better
- Manage blood pressure
- Lose weight
- Reduce blood sugar
- Stop smoking
Do a My Life Check® through the the American Heart Association website at http://bit.ly/2hkfLiW
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