2009-10 Fact Sheet
Go Red For Women is the American Heart Association’s solution to save women’s lives. Too many women die each year because they are unaware that heart disease is their No. 1 killer. One in three women dies of this largely preventable disease – that’s almost one woman every minute. This year, Go Red is asking women to bring a voice to this silent killer – SPEAK UP TO SAVE LIVES.
WHY SPEAK UP?
- Cardiovascular disease kills approximately 450,000 women each year, about one every minute.
- While 1 in 30 American women die of breast cancer, about 1 in 3 die from cardiovascular disease.
- More women die of cardiovascular disease than the next five causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer.
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Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.
- Only 1 in 5 women believe that heart disease is her greatest health threat.
- Heart disease is largely preventable. In fact, 80 percent of cardiac events in women may be prevented if women make the right choices for their hearts, involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking.
WHY GO RED?
Research shows that women who "Go Red" are more likely to make healthy choices.
- More than one-third have lost weight
- Nearly 55 percent have increased their exercise
- Six out of ten have changed their diets.
- More than 40 percent have checked their cholesterol levels.
- One third have talked with their doctors about developing heart health plans.
HOW YOU CAN JOIN THE CONVERSATION
This year, Go Red For Women invites women across the country to SPEAK UP TO SAVE LIVES.
PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL WEAR RED DAY (February 5th, 2010): Speak up by wearing red on National Wear Red Day and spreading the word to others to build awareness and inspire action.