Go Red for Women campaigns in Europe

Austria: Austrian Heart Foundation

The Austrian Heart Foundation is currently developing a "proWomen" project to help prevent cardiovascular disease in women.

Find out more on www.herzfonds.at/proWomen 

Finland: The Finnish Heart Association

The Finnish Heart Association and its campaign "PuNainen" are encouraging women to "take the time to take care of themselves and listen to themselves".

Their Go Red for Women activities include:

• Advertising tips for a healthy lifestyle
• Sharing heart-healthy recipes and tips for easy ways of exercising
• Celebrating Wear Red Day, (Sept. 9, 2011) with a radio campaign
• Website with a "wall" where women can share their "red" activities of the day

Find out more on: www.punainen.fi 

Hungary: Hungarian National Heart Foundation

The Hungarian National Heart Foundation is running a "Pirosban A Nökért" campaign among the public and healthcare professionals to fight against cardiovascular disease in women.

Their Go Red for Women activities include:

• A "wear red day" featuring red dresses designed by local fashion designers
• Lighting of buildings in red
• Scientific sessions on women and CVD
• Events such as a salsa class in a public location or an exhibition on heart-healthy habits in the centre of the capital
• Distribution of heart-healthy cookbooks and other material
• Website
• In 2011, a poster exhibition took place in Budapest to promote healthy habits by showing pictures of unhealthy versus healthy behaviours

Find out more on: www.pirosbananokert.hu

Iceland: Icelandic Heart Association

The Icelandic Heart Association is running a "Go Red for Women" campaign to increase awareness among women and healthcare professionals of the threat that CVD represents.

Their Go Red for Women activities are organized in cooperation with the Heart Patient Organization and the Stroke Patient Organization and they include:

• Social events (such as a "Go Red" event at Reykjavik City Hall, with the support of the former Minister of Health and ambassador of the campaign Ingibjörg Pálmadóttir)
• Fashion show with red dressed designed by Icelandic designers
• Blood pressure screenings in a shopping mall
• Conferences and presentations on women and CVD
• Distribution of educational material
• Collaboration with companies (special bouquets at florists, Elizabeth Arden cosmetics, etc.)
• Awareness survey
• Website

Find out more on: www.gored.is

Ireland: Irish Heart Foundation

The Irish Heart Foundation is running a "Go Red for Women" campaign and organizing many activities during the "Irish Heart Month" in September, including:

• Walks
• Distribution of promotion material in hospitals, pharmacies, workplaces, etc.
• Health checks
• Publication of a Go Red magazine

Find out more on: www.irishheart.ie  

Italy: Italian Heart Foundation

The Italian Heart Foundation is running a "Red Dress Italia" campaign among women, healthcare professionals, authorities and media to spread the message that CVD is the number 1 killer of women in the world.

Many of their Go Red for Women activities take place during the Milan Fashion Week and they include:

• Charity dinners - view an example here
• Health checks and medical counseling
• Fashion competition with red dresses and accessories created by young designers
• Award for researchers in the field of prevention of CVD in women
• Distribution of educational material
• Videos and advertising
• Press conferences
• Lobbying
• Website
• The Italian Heart Foundation is promoting and organizing conferences on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases addressed to the population, in collaboration with the most important centers and hospitals in Italy

Find out more on: www.reddressitalia.it 

Latvia: Latvian Society of Cardiology

The Latvian Society of Cardiology launched its Go Red for Women campaign in 2011 and organized a first event in March 2011. With the support of many national celebrities, they organized a conference and a photo exhibition on Go Red for Women, with red dresses created by designers. 

Read the Heart Beat article about the launch

Find out more on: www.kardiologija.lv

Lithuania: Lithuanian Heart Association

The Lithuanian Heart Association started a national Go Red for Women campaign in 2011 to make women aware that cardiovascular disease is the number 1 killer of women.

Their Go Red for Women activities include:

• A charity concert with speeches on women and CVD, a gala dinner and presentation of red dresses
• Distribution of educational material
• Advertising in the media
• Website with heart-health tips

Find out more on: www.raudonasuknele.lt

Netherlands: Netherlands Heart Foundation

Since September 2010, the Netherlands Heart Foundation is running a "We hebben je hart nodig" campaign among the general public, healthcare professionals and in the media to spread the message that CVD is the number 1 killer of women.

Their Go Red for Women activities include:

• Media campaign, including a commercial
• Sport events: 30 cardiologists cycled from Amsterdam to the European Congress of Cardiology in Stockholm to raise awareness in women and CVD and raise money for research by sponsoring
• Dress Red Day
• Tea parties to raise awareness on women and CVD and collect funds
• Activities targeting healthcare professionals
• Fundraising for scientific research
• Awareness survey
• Social media
• Website
• "Facebook session" with cardiologists: women can ask questions to cardiologists who will reply live

Find out more on: www.wehebbenjehartnodig.nl

Norway: Norwegian Heart and Lung Patient Organization

The Norwegian Heart and Lung Patient Organization and its Go Red for Women campaign are encouraging women to "take responsibility for their own health".

Their Go Red for Women activities include:

• Distribution of material
• Encouraging women to wear the Go Red pins when going to the doctor and ask to get screened
• Awareness survey
• Website

Find out more on: www.hjertelighilsen.no 

Poland: Polish Cardiac Society

The Polish Cardiac Society and its working group on heart disease and women are organizing activities to raise awareness on women and cardiovascular disease among cardiologists.

In September 2011, they organized sessions focusing on women and CVD during the 14th International Congress of radiation research.

Find out more on: www.kobiety.ptkardio.pl

Portugal: Portuguese Heart Foundation with Peres and Partners

The Portuguese Heart Foundation and Peres and Partners are running a "Mulheres de Vermelho" campaign to encourage women to take care of their heart.

Their activities include:

• Gala dinners with fashion show
• Gulf tournament
• Lunch with celebrities ambassadors to promote a healthy diet (the Mediterranean Diet)
• Books with healthy recipes
• PR activities on radio and TV, including 2 days with extensive coverage on the national radio on March 2012
• A wear red day
• Website

Find out more on: www.mulheresdevermelho.com

Russia: Society of Cardiology of the Russian Federation

The Society of Cardiology of the Russian Federation is starting its Women's Heart campaign in 2011 with activities to raise awareness and offer screenings to women as well as to educate physicians.

Their activities include:

• Distribution of scientific material for healthcare professionals (guidelines, presentation, etc.)
• Conferences
• Free health check-up
• Distribution of educational material
• Advertising in the media

Find out more on: www.scardio.ru

Slovak Republic: Slovak League Heart to Heart

The Slovak League Heart to Heart and its Go Red for Women campaign are raising awareness on women and heart disease among women and healthcare professionals.

Their Go Red for Women activities include:

• Advertising in the media
• Press conferences for public media with presentations from medical professionals
• Scientific resources for physicians 
• Scientific conference for scientists and physicians with the theme of "Go Red for Women"

Find out more on: www.srdcesrdcu.sav.sk 

Slovenia: Slovenian Heart Foundation

The Slovenian Heart Foundation launched its Go Red for Women campaign in summer 2011 with a charity concert and a website focused on preventing cardiovascular disease in women.

Find out more on: www.zenskosrce.si

Sweden: Swedish Heart Lung Foundation

The Swedish Heart Lung Foundation is running a "Rädda Kvinnohjärtat" campaign to fight the most common cause of death among women, cardiovascular disease.

Their activities include:

• Advertising in the media, social media and website
• Fundraising to support research on women and heart disease
• Distribution of material
• Awareness survey

Find out more on: www.gored.se