The month of February is known to many NEIU students as the month in which Black History and Valentine’s Day are celebrated. However, February is also Heart Awareness Month, with an emphasis on women.
Health officials hope to raise awareness about heart disease and strokes among women. According to the Associated Press (AP), heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women. However, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, women make up more than half of the percentage of all heart disease deaths.
According to the AP, more than 13,000 women in Illinois died from heart disease in 2006 (which is the most recent statistic available).
The Heart Truth is a federally sponsored national campaign created in 2002 to bring awareness to women about the personal and urgent risk of heart disease. The Red Dress, which is part of The Heart Truth, is the national symbol for women and heart disease. The Red Dress consists of women coming together and wearing red dresses to symbolize and raise awareness about women and heart disease. On February 11, 2010 the Heart Truth kicked off its fashion week, which included more than 20 celebrities that walked the runway in red dresses created by some of America’s top designers.
In order to help women fight heart disease, the CDC website offers many helpful tips about how to maintain a healthy heart such as being active at least 2 and a half hours a day, eating healthy and being smoke-free. The website can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/