Category Archives: Cardiovascular disease
Public Health Says: Happy Valentine’s Day
Public health departments and schools of public health across the country are showing the love this Valentine’s Day. Many have loaded great ideas for healthy hearts and happy lives on their home pages, Twitter feeds and Facebook pages:
- The Massachusetts Department of Health offers (somewhat) healthy Valentine’s Day chocolate ideas.
- The Lexington-Fayette County (Kentucky) Health Department wants to salute American Heart Month (February) by having people wear red for Valentine’s Day and share photos through the department’s Twitter feed or Facebook page.
- A community health clinic in Yolo County, Calif., is holding its annual Valentine’s Day diaper drive.
- Our Favorite: A Valentine’s Day infographic from the Ohio State University College of Public Health gives healthy AND romantic tips for the day. Best idea—take romantic walks! [See full infographic below.]
>>Bonus Link: Whether you mailed a card or not, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a virtual rack full of Valentine’s Day health-e (get it?) cards, with all the gush, and plenty of heart-healthy ideas.
Women, Protect Your Hearts: NewPublicHealth Q&A With Nakela Cook
During American Heart Month in February 2013, the Heart Truth campaign of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will share stories of women taking action to protect their heart.
Today is National Wear Red Day, an observance established in 2003 by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute [of the National Institutes of Health], to encourage women to take preventive actions against heart disease, the number one killer of women in the U.S. Why the focus on women? Until then, and still today, the myth persists than heart disease is a problem strictly for older men.
Successes since the first National Wear Red Day include:
- 21% fewer women dying from heart disease
- 23% more women aware that it's their No. 1 health threat
- Education on gender-specific differences in symptoms and responses to medications and guidelines for prevention and treatment
- Legislation to help end gender disparities
