VIP GOES RED

The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women initiative aims to bring awareness to women’s heart health, and also action to save more lives. The movement harnesses the energy, passion and power women have to band together and collectively wipe out heart disease. It challenges them to know their likelihood to develop heart disease and take action to reduce their personal risk. It also gives them the tools they need to lead a heart healthy life.

In the past, heart disease and heart attack have been predominantly associated with men. Historically, men have been the subjects of the research done to understand heart disease and stroke, which has been the basis for treatment guidelines and programs. This led to an oversimplified, distorted view of heart disease and risk, which has worked to the detriment of women.

Because women have been largely ignored as a specific group, their awareness of their risk of this often-preventable disease has suffered. Only 55 percent of women realize heart disease is the number one leading cause of death among women and less than half know what are considered healthy levels for cardiovascular risk factors like blood pressure and cholesterol. The Go Red for Women movement works to make sure women know they are at risk so

By wearing red and donating to the American Heart Association, you can join the fight and bring awareness to the leading cause of death among women in our nation, heart disease, as well as stroke, the fifth leading cause of death among the same population. Your donation helps fund lifesaving research, advocate for better health, improve patient care and reach at-risk populations.

In short, you’re saving lives.

Funds donated to Go Red for Women have impacted women across the nation.

More than 2 million women have learned their personal risk of developing heart disease by taking the Go Red Heart CheckUp.

More than 200,000 healthcare provider offices have received critical patient information on women and heart disease.

More than 900,000 women have joined the fight. Women who join Go Red for Women receive important information that allows them to take action to improve their health: • Women involved in Go Red For Women eat a healthy diet. • Go Red women are more likely to follow their doctors’ advice from losing weight to taking medications. • 91 percent of women involved in Go Red For Women visited their doctor in the last 12 months (compared to 73 percent of all U.S. women). • 64 percent follow a regular exercise routine. • 84 percent have talked to friends about their heart health. • 90 percent have had their blood pressure checked in the last year. • 75 percent have had their cholesterol checked in the last year.

In 2003, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the AHA and other organizations committed to women’s health joined together to raise awareness of women and heart disease. The NHBI introduced the red dress as a national symbol for women and heart disease awareness and the AHA adopted this symbol to create synergy among all organizations committed to fighting this cause. By working together to advance this important cause, the AHA, NHLBI and other women’s health groups will have a greater impact than any one group could have alone.