7.25.2008

The Heart Truth


Women's Health and Wellness
As a wife and mother, Mrs. Bush believes it is important that women make a commitment to a lifestyle that promotes lifelong health, not only for every woman's own benefit but also for the benefit of family and loved ones. Preventive screenings, healthy eating and routine exercise are vital steps all Americans must take to ensure good health. Mrs. Bush believes it is especially important to educate women about the risks of heart disease. She also actively supports the fight against breast cancer and the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Heart Disease
In 2008 Mrs. Bush marked her fifth anniversary as The Heart Truth ambassador. Mrs. Bush has traveled throughout the United States to talk with women and raise their awareness of the risks of heart disease.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women. Although heart disease deaths have been decreasing, nearly 650,000 Americans die of the condition, and more than half of them are women.
Sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Heart Truth campaign has helped save tens of thousands of women's lives.
More women are aware that heart disease is their number one cause of death. Today, 62 percent of women recognize that heart disease is the most common cause of death for women, up from only 34 percent in 2000.
Fewer women are dying of heart disease. Heightened awareness is leading to action. The last six years saw the first decline in decades in the number of heart disease deaths in women. The yearly decrease in deaths from heart disease since 2000 amounts to 36,703 lives saved.
The Heart Truth campaign is empowering American women to fight back against heart disease, which is often preventable. By leading a heart-healthy lifestyle-eating wisely, getting physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, seeing a physician for routine preventive screenings, and controlling high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes - people can reduce their risk for heart disease by as much as 82 percent.

No comments: