February 4, 2005

Pruneyard to light up for American Heart Month on Feb. 4

American Heart Association awareness campaign ‘Go Red for Women’ focuses on #1 killer — heart disease

Americans will Go Red for Women again Friday, Feb. 4 to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease, women’s No.1 killer.

Go Red for Women is the theme for American Heart Month in February 2005. Nationwide attention will focus on Friday, Feb. 4 as Wear Red Day, with national and local media promoting that effort.

In Santa Clara County, a number of locations will light red in observance of Go Red For Women including: Tower One at the Pruneyard in Campbell, Guidant Corporation; The Sobrato Building at 488 Almaden Blvd., donated by Best Electrical; The Fairmont Plaza; 225 West Santa Clara St; and San Jose City Hall.

Additionally, both the city of San Jose and Santa Clara County enacted resolutions supporting American Heart Month and the Go Red for Women campaign.

Go Red for Women began in February 2004 to raise awareness that heart disease is women’s No. 1 killer. The grassroots campaign has since grown into a vibrant national movement as more women; men, celebrities, healthcare providers and politicians embrace and elevate the cause of women and heart disease.

The campaign provides women tips and information on healthy eating, exercise, and risk factor reduction, such as smoking cessation, weight maintenance, blood pressure control and blood cholesterol management. This is the second of a three-year initiative, providing consistent community education on the issue of women and heart disease and challenging women to take charge of their heart health, make it a top priority and live a stronger, longer life.

Anyone can join Go Red for Women by calling 1-888-MY-HEART (1-888-694-3278) or visiting americanheart.org.
National sponsors are Macy’s, Pfizer and the PacifiCare Foundation. Locally sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.

Go Red for Women is supported by research that shows that heart disease is the nation’s number one cause of death; women represented 53.6 percent and men 46.4 percent of the total number of U.S. deaths from CVD.

Did you know?
- One in five females in the United States has some form of cardiovascular disease.

- More than 500,000, or about one woman per minute, die each year from cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

- Stroke is the nation’s number three killer and the number one cause of permanent, long-term disability; each year about 40,000 more women than men have a stroke.

- 1 in 29 women’s deaths are from breast cancer, while 1 in 2.4 deaths are from CVD.

- Sixty-three percent of women who died suddenly from coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms of this disease.

- Only about 38 percent of women report doctors have discussed heart disease when analyzing their health

- Go Red for Women provides easy tips to help women reduce their risk and live longer, healthier lives

- Achieve and maintain a desirable weight. A woman’s Body Mass Index (BMI) should be below 25 and her waistline circumference should be less than 35 inches. Ask your health professional to help you determine your BMI.

- Exercise for 30 minutes on most days.

- Don’t smoke. If you smoke, stop. If you don’t smoke, don’t start.

- Eat an overall balanced diet emphasizing fruits, vegetables, cereal and grain products, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, legumes, nuts, fish, poultry and lean meats.

- Maintain a total cholesterol level less that 200mg/dl and HDL level 40 mg/dL or higher. Control your blood pressure—try to maintain your blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg.

For more information visit the American Heart Association Web site at www.americanheart.org.