People across the nation are suiting up in red today to raise awareness of the No. 1 killer in women — heart disease.
The American Heart Association created National Wear Red Day in 2004 to educate women about the dangers of heart disease — an ailment historically considered a man’s disease, said Kerin Spears, regional director for the AHA.
“Heart disease in the past has always been known as more of a disease for men,” Spears said. “Women incorrectly assumed it was more likely to happen to a man.”
But recent research has proved the prevalence of the disease in women. Heart disease kills about 500,000 women every year — almost one woman per minute, according to the AHA.
The reality of heart disease in women combined with past negligence of the issue is the reason for National Wear Red Day, said Beth Reames, LSU AgCenter nutritionist.
“It’s important for women to be concerned about their hearts because they die from that much more often than from cancer,” Reames said. “People are so fearful of cancer, but heart disease is what will take most lives.”
The AgCenter is working with the AHA to promote the awareness campaign as part of the AgCenter’s goal to educate people about healthy living.
“That’s our job — to help educate the public on the importance of a healthy lifestyle,” Reames said.
Spears said all women should get a checkup and educate themselves about the risk of heart disease. Women should keep tabs on important health statistics, like blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels.
“The first step is to know your numbers, and you can’t know them unless you get a checkup,” Spears said.
Women can participate in an online wellness program at goredforwomen.org once they have their numbers.
The program logs women’s information and suggests healthy activities and recipes, as well as helpful tips for preventing heart disease.
Reames said women can take many steps to fight heart disease in their everyday lives, including eating nutritiously, exercising, keeping a healthy weight and visiting the doctor regularly.
The Go Red campaign is larger than just wearing red today, Spears said. Several Baton Rouge buildings like the Governor’s Mansion and various area hospitals were lit with red lights this week in support of the campaign.
The widespread support for the Go Red campaign is great for the cause of raising awareness of heart conditions not only to women but also to men, Spears said.
“It’s not just about women — it’s about men,” Spears said. “We want men to be aware, so they can urge the women in their lives to take care of themselves.”——Contact Ryan Buxton at [email protected]