MEALTH AWARENESS Getting To The Heart Of Women’s Health: Five Easy Steps (NAPSA)—Less than half of women know that heart disease is their leading cause of death and most fail to make the connection between its risk factors—such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol—and their personal risk of developing heart disease. In fact, this disease kills one out of every three American women. A nationwide campaign—The Heart Truth—is underway to raise awareness that heart disease is the #1 killer of women. The Heart Truth features a Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease aware- ness. This symbol links a woman’s focus on her “outer self” to the need to also focus on her “inner self’ and her heart. What’s a Red Dress got to do with it? A simple Red Dress works as a visual red alert to get the message heard loud and clear: “Heart Disease Doesn’t Care What You Wear—It’s the #1 Killer of Women.” The good news is that Americans can lower their risk of heart disease by as much as 82 percent by simply leading a healthy lifestyle. The Heart Truth and the Office on Women’s Health offer the following steps to better heart health: 1. Don’t smoke, and if you do, quit. Women who smoke are two to six times morelikely to suffer a heart attack than non-smoking women. Smoking also boosts the risk of stroke and cancer. 2. Aim for a healthy weight. It’s important for a long, vigorous life. Overweight and obesity cause many preventable deaths. Heart disease survivors don red dresses—the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness—to warn women that heart diseaseis their #1 health threat. 3. Get moving. Make a commitment to be more physically active. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. 4. Eat for heart health. Choose a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol, and moderatein total fat. 5. Know your numbers. Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure, cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL,triglycerides), and blood glucose. Work with your doctor to improve any numbers that are not normal. The Heart Truth campaign is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To learn more about women and heart disease and to order a Red Dress Pin, visit www.hearttruth.gov or call the NHLBI Health Information Center at 301-592-8573 (TTY: 240-629-3255). wae----- eneQe ee ee eee een enn eens NOTE TO EDITORS:February is American Heart Month!
