General Information
Friday, February 26, 2016
JW Marriott
Want to start saving lives now? Tell 5 friends today you want them to live and we can stop heart disease in our lifetime. Learn more at www.goredforwomen.org
FACTS ABOUT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
FACT 1: Cardiovascular diseases cause one in three women’s deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every minute.
- An estimated 43 million women in the U.S. are affected by cardiovascular diseases.
- 90% of women have one or more risk factors for heart disease or stroke.
- 80% of heart disease and stroke events could be prevented.
FACT 2: Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease & stroke.
- Fewer women than men survive their first heart attack
- The symptoms of heart attack can be different in women vs. men, and are often misunderstood – even by some physicians.
- Women have a higher lifetime risk of stroke than men.
- Each year, about 55,000 more women than men have a stroke.
FACT 3: Heart disease and stroke affect women of all ethnicities.
- Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death for African-American women, killing nearly 50,000 annually.
- Of African-American women ages 20 and older, 48.9% have cardiovascular disease. Yet, only 20% believe they are at risk.
- Only 50% of African-American women are aware of the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
- Hispanic women are likely to develop heart disease 10 years earlier than Caucasian women.
- Only 3 in 10 Hispanic women say they have been informed that they are at a higher risk.
- Only 1 in 4 Hispanic women is aware of treatment options.
- Only 43% of African American women and 44% of Hispanic women know that heart disease is their greatest health risk, compared with 60% of Caucasian women.
FACT 4: Women who are involved with the Go Red For Women movement live healthier lives.
- Nearly 90% have made at least one healthy behavior change.
- More than one-third has lost weight.
- More than 50% have increased their exercise.
- 6 out of 10 have changed their diets.
- More than 40% have checked their cholesterol levels.
- One third has talked with their doctors about developing heart health plans.
FACT 5: When you get involved in supporting Go Red For Women by advocating, fundraising and sharing your story, more lives are saved.
- Today, nearly 300 fewer women die from heart disease and stroke each day
- Death in women has decreased by more than 30 percent over the past 10 years.