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11Alive Goes Red for Women

It’s time to be demanding when it comes to women’s heart health and ask others to do the same. That’s why the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women – nationally sponsored by Macy’s and CVS Health – has launched the Go Red Commitment – to encourage women to put themselves first, make a commitment, and take action for women’s heart health. By making a Go Red Commitment, women everywhere are coming together to further the fight against heart disease and stroke in women.

Cardiovascular diseases, which includes stroke, claim the life of a woman about every 80 seconds. But about 80 percent of cardiovascular diseases may be prevented.

A woman you know and love may be affected by cardiovascular diseases -- at any age. It is the No. 1 killer of women -- claiming the lives of one in three women. In fact, today heart disease claims more lives than all forms of cancer combined.

Commit to one of the five Go Red Commitments and share on your social channels to encourage your friends to join you. Because when we come together, we can build a culture of health for all and put an end to heart disease and stroke in women.

Commit to:

Get active -- Make physical activity a priority by joining the #GoRedGetFit team on Facebook and sharing with your Facebook friends.

Eat healthy -- Make healthy eating a priority by joining the #GoRedGetFit team on Facebook and sharing with your Facebook friends.

Monitor your blood pressure -- If you have high blood pressure, commit to monitoring your Blood Pressure on a regular basis through the Check. Change. Control. tracker.

Join My Research Legacy -- Join My Research Legacy to help in the fight to end heart disease and stroke.

Donate to Go Red -- Contribute to the Go Red For Women fight to end heart disease and stroke in women by donating today.

Facts about cardiovascular diseases

FACT 1: Cardiovascular diseases kill one woman about every 80 seconds and about 80 percent of cardiovascular diseases may be prevented.

• Prevention starts with Knowing Your Numbers: Total Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar and Body Mass Index (BMI).

• Less than 20 percent of women meet the Federal Physical Activity Guidelines.

• More than 66 percent of women age 20 and older are overweight or obese. o About 63 percent are non-Hispanic whites.

o About 82 percent are non-Hispanic blacks.

o About 77 percent are Hispanics.

• More than 50 percent of high blood pressure-related deaths were female.

• About 42 percent of women in America age 20 or older have total cholesterol of 200 mg/dl or higher.

FACT 2: Cardiovascular diseases kill nearly one in three women each year.

• Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined.

• More than one in three women is living with some form of cardiovascular disease.

• Women account for almost half of all cardiovascular deaths.

• Mortality from peripheral artery disease, or PAD, was nearly 11 percent higher in women than men. The prevalence of PAD for adults age 40 and older is greater than 6.8 million.

FACT 3: About 4.1 million stroke survivors alive today are women.

• Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 130,000 people a year. That’s roughly one in every 20 deaths.

• Each year about 55,000 more females than males have a stroke.

FACT 4: Heart disease and stroke affect women of all ethnicities.

• Among women age 20 and older: o About one third of non-Hispanic whites have CVD.

o Nearly half of non-Hispanic blacks have CVD.

o About one third of Hispanics have CVD.

• Only 17 percent of women consider heart disease or stroke to be the greatest health problem facing Americans today.

o African-American women are the least likely among all women to consider heart disease or stroke to be the greatest health problem facing Americans today – only 13 percent consider it the greatest health problem.

o 15 percent of Hispanic women and 15 percent of Asian women consider heart disease or stroke to be the greatest health problem facing Americans today.

o 18 percent of Caucasian women consider heart disease or stroke to be the greatest health problem facing Americans today.

*Facts from Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2017 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association

About Go Red For Women

In the United States, cardiovascular diseases kill approximately 1 in 3 women each year. Go Red For Women is the American Heart Association's national movement to end heart disease and stroke in women. Cardiovascular diseases in the U.S. kill approximately one woman every 80 seconds. The good news is that 80 percent of cardiac events may be prevented with education and lifestyle changes. Go Red For Women advocates for more research and swifter action for women's heart health. The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement is nationally sponsored by Macy's and CVS Health, with additional support from our cause supporters. For more information, please visit GoRedForWomen.org or call 1-888-MY-HEART (1-888-694-3278).

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