Many have seen it on TV, billboards or heard it on the radio. Go Red for Women is reaching women nationwide. Although the campaign is gaining momentum through increased exposure and spokespersons such as first lady Laura Bush, experts wonder if women are paying attention to what the cause is all about.
Elizabeth Cisco, vice president of marketing, St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana and Midwest affiliate board of directors for the American Heart Association states that women understand other health risks that are specific to women but should broaden their education to include heart disease.
“Women are taught to think about the outside of our chest, related to breast cancer, and really we need to be thinking about the inside of our chest,” said Cisco.
The statistics give proof. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S., but only 21 percent of women view heart disease as a health threat.
If those statistics weren’t overwhelming enough, the AHA goes on to report one in every 2.6 women suffers from some form of heart disease and more women die of cardiovascular disease than the next five causes of deaths combined. Women are quickly surpassing the number of men affected by heart disease.
The stats are shocking to some but Cisco urges women to use the Go Red for Women campaign to understand the risks, take action and love their hearts.
The first step in loving one’s heart is knowing their numbers; that is knowing one’s blood pressure, cholesterol, and Body Mass Index (BMI).
Women can also take action by increasing their physical activity, having a heart healthy diet and quitting smoking.
Being that Indiana is among states with the highest obesity and smoking rates, there’s a direct correlation in the large number of Hoosier women affected by heart disease.
Women are also urged to understand and recognize the signs of heart disease early on. Stereotypical signs such as chest pain or numbness in the left arm are in fact symptoms…for men. In women, signs of heart trouble include upper or lower back pain, jaw aches or gastrointestinal pain.
“We’re thinking that it’s something else like I’m stressed or maybe I just have a tummy ache. Those are the first signs of something going wrong with the heart. If we don’t do something about it, it continues to have more momentum so when the aggressive situation occurs there’s already been heart damage,” said Cisco.
The Go Red for Women campaign is working diligently to inform women on heart disease but also heavily targeting the Black community.
According to the AHA, cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is the leading cause of death for African-American men and women, killing more than 102,000 annually.
Compared to Caucasians, African-Americans develop high blood pressure at an earlier age, and their average blood pressure is much higher. As a result Blacks have a 1.5 times greater rate of heart disease deaths and a 1.8 times greater rate of fatal stroke.
Many women across the state are taking extra measures and hosting events to decrease those numbers. Such events include Delta Sigma Theta alumnae and collegiate chapters across Indiana’s Heart CheckUp challenge through Feb. 12, or the Go Red for Women Luncheon Feb. 22.
Although the month of February has been designated as National Heart Month and there will be numerous events going on throughout Indiana, women everywhere are ‘going red’ to live longer, healthier lives.
For more information, call the American Heart Association at 800-AHA-USA1, the AHA Indianapolis branch at (317) 873-3640, visit www.americanheart.org or www.goredforwomen.org.
