I. The American Heart Association

II. What is CVD?

III. Things you can do to prevent cardiovascular disease

IV. Introduction to programs

V. Women everywhere are at risk for CVD

a. Go Red For Women

VI. Eating Right helps you help yourself

VII. What is Cholesterol?

a. Cholesterol Low Down

VIII. What is Diabetes?

a. The Heart Of Diabetes

IX. Warning Signs

X. Contact Information

The American Heart Association

• Fights heart disease, stroke, other cardiovascular diseases (CVD)

• CVD is nation’s No. 1 killer

• It kills about 930,000 in the U.S. every year

• Supports lifesaving research

• Spreads vital knowledge to:· medical professionals· general public· policymakers· patients

What Is Cardiovascular Disease?

Heart and blood vessel (circulatory system) diseases

CVD Numbers Tell the Story

– 38.5 percent of all U.S. deaths (1 of every 2.6) in 2001

– Almost 150,000 who die are under age 65

– CVD kills about 500,000 females every year

Risk Factors

Medical conditions and lifestyle practices that can increase your risk for a heart attack or stroke

Risk Factors You Can’t Control

• Increasing Age

• Heredity

• Race

• Previous heart attack or stroke

• Gender (male sex)

Risk Factors You Can Control, Treat or Modify

• High blood pressure

• High blood cholesterol

• Tobacco smoke

• Overweight and obesity

• Physical inactivity

• Diabetes

Other Factors That Can Affect Your Risk

• Birth control pills

• Drinking too much alcohol

• Illegal drugs

What You Can Do To Prevent CVD

The first steps in prevention:

• Know the risk factors

• Identify your risk factors

• Control your risk factors

Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes

• Control high blood pressure

• Don’t smoke. If you smoke, quit

• Maintain healthy cholesterol levels

• Be more physically active

• Control or delay the onset of diabetes

• Reduce excess weight or maintain a healthy weight

• Eat a healthful diet

Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes

• Drink alcohol in moderation or not at all

• Don’t smoke or breathe other’s tobacco smoke

• Learn to relax and deal with your stress

• Get friends and family to join you in healthy living

• Take action in your community and workplace

Educate Yourself!

• You’re worth it!

• The information is easy to get

• “Learn and Live”

Women Everywhere Are at Risk of CVD

• CVD kills almost 500,000 women a year – about a death a minute

• Black women have high rates of high blood pressure, cholesterol of 200 mg/dL or higher, overweight/obesity and diabetes

• Mexican women have high rates of diabetes, cholesterol of 200 mg/dL or higher and overweight/obesity

• Asian/Pacific Islander females have high rates of physical inactivity and high cholesterol of 240 mg/dL and higher

• American Indian/Alaska Native females have high rates of smoking, high cholesterol or 240 mg/dL and higher and overweight and obesity

Macy's and Pfizer are proud national sponsors of the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women campaign.

Go Red For Women Campaign Goals

• To raise awareness

• To prevent heart disease and stroke

• To save lives

The Go Red For Women February 2004 Launch

• Media Impressions – more than 800 million

• Contact Center – more than 32,000 calls in a week

• Web Site – visitors doubled

Go Red For Women Spreads Crucial News

This ongoing national campaign:

• Raises awareness of heart disease as women’s No. 1 health threat

• Highlights the women’s guidelines for preventing heart disease and stroke

Two Easy Ways To Enroll in Go Red For Women

• Call 1-888-MY-HEART (1-888-694-3278)o Receive free educational information by mail

• Visit americanheart.org o Receive free educational newsletters and

online tools o Sign up for Choose To Move and/or The

Cholesterol Low Down

Physical Activity Helps You Help Yourself

• About 45% of Americans are not active enough for good heart health

• Physically inactive women are more likely to develop heart disease

• Regular, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity o improves your cardiovascular fitnesso helps reduce your risk of heart disease

Physical Activity Helps You Help Yourself

• Exercise helps you o lower blood pressureo control blood cholesterol levelso reach and maintain a healthy weighto manage diabetes

• For most healthy people, the American Heart Association recommends 30–60 minutes of physical activity on most or all days of the week

• Physical inactivity is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke and contributes to obesity

Choose To Move is a free program that shows women how to:

• Exercise regularly

• Eat healthfully

• Love their bodies

• Take time for themselves

The Choose To Move Program

• Personal, easy-to-use handbook to increase physical activity

• Nutrition tips and recipes for healthy eating

• Healthy weight-management tips and e-newsletter messages

• Relevant facts on heart disease and stroke

• Online e-cards, e-newsletter and BMI calculator support regular physical activity, healthful eating and love for your body

To Learn More About Choose To Move

• Visit americanheart.org/choosetomove

• Call 1-888-MY-HEART (1-888-694-3278)

Eating Right Helps You Help Yourself

Healthy food habits can help reduce some of the risk factors for heart attack and stroke including:

• High blood cholesterol

• High blood pressure

• Excess body weight

• Type II diabetes

What Is Cholesterol?

• Cholesterol is a fat like substance made primarily in the liver

• The body needs cholesterol to work normally

• The body makes all the cholesterol it needs

Why Is Cholesterol Control Important?

• Too much cholesterol in the blood increases the risk that fatty deposits (plaque) will form in arteries

• Blood clots can form on ruptured plaques and block the artery resulting in a heart attack or stroke

• High blood cholesterol raises your risk of heart attack and stroke

“Good” and “Bad” Cholesterol

• HDL cholesterol is the “good” kind

• High HDL lowers your heart disease and stroke risk

• LDL cholesterol is the “bad” kind

• LDL cholesterol is deposited in artery walls

• High LDL raises your heart disease and stroke risk

Your Cholesterol Numbers Chart Your Risk of Heart Disease

– Less than 200 mg/dL – Desirable (lower risk)

– 200-239 mg/dL – Borderline high (higher risk)

– 240 mg/dL and above – High blood cholesterol, more than twice the risk of heart disease than the desirable level

Note: Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood.

The Cholesterol Low Down is a free program.

It helps people learn about cholesterol and how to keep their levels within healthy limits. Since high blood cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease, they can reduce their risk by lowering high cholesterol.

The Cholesterol Low Down Program

Program participants receive:

• A health book to help improve their heart health

• Newsletter tips on healthy living, questions for the doctor

• A recipe book with cooking tips and heart-healthy recipes

The Cholesterol Low Down Online

Some of the free online materials include:

• E-newsletters covering physical activity, nutrition, recipes and more!

• Global Risk, which calculates your 10-year risk for heart disease and stroke

• Cholesterol Tracker, which lets you enter, monitor and print your cholesterol levels

• Heartfelt e-cards you can send to family, friends

To Learn More About

The Cholesterol Low Down:

• Visit americanheart.org/cld

• Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721)

Heart Attack Warning Signs

• Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of the chest that last more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back

• Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach

• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort

• Cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness

Stroke Warning Signs

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding

• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Contact Information

The American Heart Association:

• Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721)

• Call 1-888-MY-HEART (1-888-694-3278) for women and heart disease information

• Visit americanheart.org

Or, call your local American Heart Association office.

Contact Information

The American Stroke Association:

• Call 1-888-4-STROKE (1-888-478-7653)

• Visit StrokeAssociation.org

Or, call your local American Stroke Association office.

To take the Learn and Live Quiz:

• Visit americanheart.org

• Or call 1-888-AHA-CARES to receive a paper copy.