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In 2002, only around two out of every 10 women could identify heart disease as their leading health risk. Today, the number is up to seven out of 10 due, in part, to awareness raised by The Heart Truth campaign about heart disease among women, and through efforts women themselves have taken to reduce their own personal risk of developing heart disease.
Joanne M. Foody, MD, FACC, FAHA, medical director of the Cardiovascular Wellness Center and Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Program at BWH, said these goals remain the same in 2012. “As much as there has been great work, none of us will rest until all women appreciate their risk for heart disease,” said Foody. “It’s important that we move those numbers all the way to 10 out of 10.”
The Heart Truth is a cause near to the heart of BW/F President Betsy Nabel, MD. During her time leading the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health, one of her signature accomplishments was the development of The Heart Truth, which is sponsored by the NHLBI, and its creation of the Red Dress as a national symbol for women and heart disease awareness. The goal was to make women more aware of the danger of heart disease and to give women a personal and urgent wake-up call about their risk.
Ongoing awareness building is critically important, according to Nabel, along with conducting additional research. “The campaign is especially aimed at women ages 40 to 60, the age when a woman’s risk of heart disease starts to rise,” said Nabel, a cardiologist by training. “But younger women need to be listening since heart disease develops gradually and can start at a young age, even in the teenage years. But no matter what age you are, it’s never too late to take action to prevent and control the risk factors for heart disease. Even those who have heart disease can improve their heart health and quality of life.”
Launched in 2002, the campaign is co-sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The campaign has also long been partnered with the Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Program at BWH, which not only offers free screenings and programs that promote and improve heart health in women, but also conducts research focused on the prevention of heart disease in women.
“Historically, heart disease has always been thought of as a man’s disease,” said Foody, who is also an advisor to the campaign. “Public information to health care providers and pictures of someone having heart disease were always of a man. These images pervaded the way we thought about cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.”
The campaign, pairing with the visual of the Red Dress symbol, was launched in 2002, and has led to the Red Dress Collection Fashion Show at New York’s Fashion Week, held every year since 2003.
“Fifty-seven percent of US adult women are aware of the risks of heart disease,” said Foody. “This is up from 25 percent in 2005.”
Another aspect to the campaign is in providing the tools for women to better understand the risks of heart disease. This comes from smartfortheheart.org and The Heart Truth’s site, nhlbi.nih.gov/educational/hearttruth, which include information and links to institutions that research heart disease.