CHILE LAUNCHES NATIONAL GO RED FOR WOMEN CAMPAIGN
In December 2007, Chile became the first South American country to develop a national Go Red for Women campaign for women’s heart health.
Cardiovascular disease kills more women than any other disease; too few women and health care professionals recognize it as women’s greatest health threat. The World Heart Federation encourages its members to learn about Go Red for Women on the World Heart Federation’s web site and, more particularly, worked to support Monica Acevedo to form a national campaign for Chile.
Monica Acevedo, a member of the Preventive Cardiology Group of the Chilean Society of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery and Expert Panel of Women and Heart Disease of the World Heart Federation, responded enthusiastically.
Dr Acevedo called the World Heart Federation, which sent her materials to form a national campaign. The materials included the Go Red for Women logo, the template for a PowerPoint presentation about Go Red for Women, suggestions for engaging the news media and other information.
“Mujeres en Rojo”
Dr Acevedo and her colleagues tailored the materials for the Chilean audience.
For example, they eschewed a literal translation of “Go Red for Women” into Spanish, correctly judging that it would make little sense to Chileans. Instead, they translated it as “Mujeres en Rojo” – “Women in Red”. They prepared a special Chilean pamphlet. They recruited three Chilean women, one of them with cardiovascular disease, to be the public faces of the campaign.
In December 2007, the Chilean campaign was launched in the capital, Santiago. There was a dramatic performance by actors personifying such heart healthy vegetables and fruits as lettuce, tomatoes and potatoes and such risk factors for cardiovascular disease as hypertension, cholesterol and tobacco.
Lily Perez, an important national politician, spoke. The pamphlets and questionnaires were distributed. People received free T-shirts, canvas bags and cholesterol checks. At a news conference the month before, the Chilean ministers of health and women’s affairs demonstrated their support.
World Heart Federation’s essential role
Dr Acevedo is grateful to the World Heart Federation for its assistance.
“They have helped us as if we were part of their team, and now we feel we are,” she said.
Chile’s biggest killer
The need is great. Cardiovascular disease is Chile’s biggest killer, accounting for approximately 30% of all deaths. Approximately half of the victims are women.
Chilean women exhibit a high prevalence for the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, Dr Acevedo explained.
“Ninety per cent of Chilean women are inactive, they don’t exercise at all,” she said. “Even very young women are becoming overweight, obese and inactive. In Santiago, half of adult women smoke and 30% are hypertensive.”
At the same time, statistics show that Chilean women are significantly less likely than men to be treated for cardiovascular disease and significantly more like to die after a myocardial infarction, or heart attack.
Given that the high prevalence of risk factors in women probably will rise, Dr Acevedo expects the problems to worsen.
“The epidemic is worsening,” she said. “Hypertension, high cholesterol and smoking in women are increasing, and 20% of children six to nine years old are obese.”
Yet she remains hopeful.
“If we can make a difference in the women’s campaign, then we can make a difference in the families,” she said.
