Cardiovascular disease is any disease that affects the heart or blood vessels, such as a heart attack or stroke. Are you at risk? Knowing and managing your risk factors is a vital action to prevent a cardiac event.
Risk factors that can be changed and/or managed are physical inactivity, overweight/obesity, tobacco use, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Since February is Heart Disease Awareness Month for Women we’d like to remind you that:
- Heart disease is the number 1 killer of women
- Heart disease causes 1 in 3 women’s deaths each year, killing approximately 1 woman each minute
- An estimated 43 MILLION women in the U.S are affected by heart disease.
- 90 percent of women have 1 or more risk factors for developing heart disease
Prevention is key! You can know your numbers by scheduling a Take Charge! Health Screening for the month of February. Take Charge! is a quick and easy screening that includes: A written health risk assessment (HRA), height, weight, blood pressure, BMI, total cholesterol testing, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, and blood glucose (blood sugar). As part of the program, you will receive a personalized review of your results and health risks that will be explained to you by an exercise physiologist followed by health education.
Please call Prevention & Wellness at 777-8898 to schedule your screening. These screenings are open to everyone and cost $35.
St. Mary’s is also encouraging everyone to Wear Red on Friday, February 1, 2013 to raise awareness of heart disease.
