Practicum Project
Heart Disease Booklet
Heart Disease Awareness for
Women
Ladies, Love Your Heart
Thank you for attending this presentation and taking the first step in loving your heart. This booklet contains some useful information for you to reference at your convenience.
What is Go Red?
Go Red For Women is the American Heart Association's nationwide movement that celebrates the energy, passion and power we have as women to band together and wipe out heart disease. Thanks to the participation of millions of people across the country, the color red and the red dress have become linked with the ability all women have to improve their heart health and live stronger, longer lives.
Taking care of your heart is more important than you might know. Too few people realize that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women and of men. But the good news is that heart disease can largely be prevented. Go Red For Women empowers women with knowledge and tools so they can take positive action to reduce their risks of heart disease and stroke and protect their health.
Sponsored by Macy's with additional support from the PacifiCare Foundation and Bayer Aspirin, Go Red For Women began in February 2004, and has since grown into a vibrant national movement as more women, men, celebrities, healthcare professionals and politicians embrace and elevate the cause of women and heart disease.
The movement gives women tips and information on healthy eating, exercise and risk factor reduction, such as smoking cessation, weight maintenance, blood pressure control, and blood cholesterol management.
To find out more about this powerful movement and the people and companies behind it, visit:
WWW.GOREDFORWOMEN.COM
Understand Your Enemy:
Quick Facts
Quick Facts about Heart Disease & Stroke
- Only 13 percent of women view heart disease as a health threat, even though it's women's No. 1 killer.
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) kills 480,000 women a year, about one per minute.
- One in three adult females and males in the United States suffers from a form of CVD.
- CVD claims more lives than the next four most common causes of death combined.
- On average, an American dies of CVD every 35 seconds.
- Coronary heart disease is the No. 1 single killer of women over age 25.
- Sixty-four percent of women who died suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms.
- One in 2.6 female deaths are from CVD, compared with one in 30 from breast cancer.
- Heart disease rates in post-menopausal women are two to three times higher than in pre-menopausal women of the same age.
- Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death for American women, and is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability.
- Stroke kills more women than men. In 2003, females represented 61 percent of stroke deaths.
Here are some of the signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:
? Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
? Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
? Shortness of breath. This feeling may occur with or without chest discomfort.
? Other signs of discomfort. These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
If you or someone you are with has chest discomfort, especially with one or more of the other signs, don't wait longer than five minutes before calling 9-1-1 for help.
Know Your Numbers!
The first step to heart health is to know and understand
the numbers that matter most.
These numbers can help you and your doctor determine your risks and mark the progress you're making toward a healthier heart.
|
Factor |
Goal |
|
Total Cholesterol |
Less than 200 mg/dL |
|
LDL
(?Bad?) Cholesterol
|
LDL cholesterol goals vary.
Less than 100 mg/dL Optimal 100 to 129 mg/dL Near/Above Optimal 130 to 159 mg/dL Borderline High 160 to 189 mg/dL High 190 mg/dL and above Very High |
|
HDL (?Good?) Cholesterol |
50 mg/dL or higher |
|
Triglycerides |
<150 mg/dL |
|
Blood Pressure |
<120/80 mmHg |
|
Fasting Glucose |
<100 mg/dL |
|
Body Mass Index (BMI) |
<25 Kg/m² |
|
Waist Circumference |
<35 inches |
|
Exercise |
Minimum of 30 minutes most days, if not all days of the week |
Keep Your Numbers in Check:
Make Good Food Choices
Healthy food habits can help you reduce three risk factors for heart attack and stroke--high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and excess body weight.
Set the stage for success by:
- Eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, cereal and grain products, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, legumes, nuts, fish, poultry and lean meats.
- Mixing one-half regular soda with one-half diet soda until you get used to the taste of diet soda.
- Eating foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
- Enjoying a large glass of ice water, hot tea or another calorie-free beverage. Garnish with a twist of lemon or lime and sip slowly.
- Dividing the extra portions of recipes that serve a large number of people into containers to eat throughout the rest of the week.
- Eating with other people. You'll eat less than if you eat alone.
- Knowing your snack "triggers" and planning ahead. Be ready with healthy snacks to fight the urge for high calorie/high-saturated-fat foods and trans fat foods. Grab pre-cut vegetables such as carrots and celery when you're on the run.
Keep Your Numbers in Check:
Kick Butts
Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. If you smoke cigarettes (or cigars), you have a higher risk of illness and death from heart attack, stroke and other diseases. These include lung, mouth and throat cancers; chronic lung diseases and infections; congestive heart failure; and peripheral vascular disease (in the legs and arms).
The threat grows: constant exposure to other people?s tobacco smoke increases your risk, even if you don't smoke.
The good news is that when you stop smoking-- no matter how long or how much you've smoked -- your risk of heart disease and stroke starts to drop. It's cut in half after one year without smoking, then continues to decline until it's as low as a nonsmoker's risk.
Need more motivation? Visit the American Heart Association website for help quitting smoking.
n16
