General Information

Friday, February 26, 2016

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.