GO RED AND LEARN TO LOVE YOUR HEART

GO RED AND LEARN TO LOVE YOUR HEART

 

February 14th 2006, Geneva, Switzerland ― Heart disease and stroke is the number one killer of women worldwide, killing more women each year than all types of cancers, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. That’s why the World Heart Federation, through their international women’s campaign, Go Red For Women, is encouraging women around the world to learn how to love their hearts this Valentine’s Day.

“Women are seriously neglecting the health of their heart. We want women around the world to learn, recognise and to act, to reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke,” said Dr Sania Nishtar, Chairperson of the Foundation Advisory Board for the World Heart Federation. “Women can do a lot to protect themselves and adopting a healthy lifestyle can reduce their risks. Go Red For Women is a global campaign aimed at helping women to better understand their greatest health threat, in order to dramatically reduce the number of women dying and becoming disabled from heart disease and stroke each year.”  

The Go Red For Women campaign was created by the American Heart Association in 2004 to empower women with the knowledge and tools to take charge of their heart health.  Red was chosen as a bold colour to draw attention to women’s risk. The campaign starts in February and runs throughout the year. Go Red For Women activities, organised by the World Heart Federation’s member societies, will take place in 26 countries. For example, in the United States there will be a web-conference discussing the latest scientific information around women and heart disease, monuments and cities will be lit red and on National Wear Red Day, women will be encouraged to wear red clothing to show their support of the campaign; in Spain, all the window displays of two large-scale outlet villages will go red, with appearances from local celebrities; in Singapore, activities include an educational tour, a heart walk and supermarket promotions to help raise awareness; in Jamaica, heart-health checks will take place in four major shopping malls; in Indonesia, ten prominent Indonesian designers are creating red dresses to be worn at a charity gala dinner by Jakarta’s public figures, models and singers; and in South Africa, events also focused around fashion include a red dress fashion design competition with the winner being announced at a fashion show gala dinner.

"We are using Valentine’s Day, a day when everyone thinks positively about their hearts, to highlight the importance of women learning how to live a heart-healthy lifestyle. By taking action now, we can reduce the number of deaths and disability from heart disease and stroke by up to 50 per cent in the future," said Janet Voûte, CEO, World Heart Federation.

Women face six major risk factors for heart disease and stroke: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, tobacco smoke, physical inactivity, obesity or overweight and diabetes. The adoption of a healthy lifestyle can however dramatically reduce their risk factors. Small steps can bring big rewards and the time to act is now.

For further information visit: www.americanheart.org or www.worldheart.org

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About the World Heart Federation
The World Heart Federation, a non governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, is committed to helping the global population achieve a longer and better life through prevention and control of heart disease and stroke, with a particular focus on low and middle-income countries.  It is comprised of 186 member societies of cardiology and heart foundations from 100 countries covering the regions of Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Americas and Africa. For further information visit: www.worldheart.org

About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association supports research, public and professional education and community programs.  The organization includes more than 22.5 million volunteers and supporters who carry out its mission in communities across the country.  The association is the largest non profit voluntary health organization fighting heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, which annually kill more than 945,000 Americans.  For more information visit: www.americanheart.org


Press contact:
Lauren O'Brien
Cohn & Wolfe Public Relations
Tel: +41 22 908 4074
E-mail: lauren_o'brien(at)ch.cohnwolfe.com

learn to Love your heart this valentine’s day

The World Heart Federation recommends the following ten ways to take control of your health, reduce your risk factors and to start living a heart healthy lifestyle:

• Exercise. Make exercise a part of your life. Enjoy at least 30 minutes of activity that raises your heartbeat each day. Start with at least 15 minutes a day and increase your activity by five minutes each week until you reach at least 30 minutes a day.
• Eat healthy. Adopt a balanced diet and replace unhealthy food with healthy food such as raw vegetables and fruit. Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
• Drink lots of water. Drink at least six-eight glasses of water every day.
• Watch your cholesterol. Foods high in saturated fat can lead to high cholesterol. Help keep your cholesterol down by eating foods low in saturated fat, such as lean meat (steamed, boiled, grilled or baked, with skin removed), fruits and vegetables, low or fat-free products or pasta.
• Reduce your salt intake. Help lower high blood pressure by watching your salt intake. Often you’ll find it disguised in food labels as sodium alginate, sodium sulfite, sodium caseinate, disodium phosphate, sodium benzoate, sodium hydroxide, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and sodium citrate.
• Stop smoking. If you smoke, quit and avoid inhaling smoke from other people’s cigarettes.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. To achieve steady, painless weight loss, take it easy. Eat 200–300 calories less each day and exercise at least 30 minutes on five days a week or more and you’ll get closer to your goal.
• Don’t let a slip put you off. If you miss taking some exercise, use tobacco or eat an unhealthy meal, just get back on track immediately with more determination to establish a healthy lifestyle.
• Monitor your progress. Keep track of your achievements in exercising, losing weight or quitting smoking. When you reach a goal, reward yourself by doing something you enjoy.
• Check-up. Have your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels checked, and ask a health professional to help you reach or maintain a healthy weight.