This is not a red dress: It’s a red alert

JOIN THE movement! Why is the red dress the symbol of women and heart disease? In 2003, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the American Heart Association (AHA), the World Heart Federation, and the Inter-American Heart Federation committed to women’s health, joined together to raise awareness of women and heart disease. The NHLBI 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 organisations committed to fighting this cause. Seven years ago, the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) joined the movement to raise awareness about the risk factors for women in Jamaica.

WHY TARGET WOMEN?

Heart disease and heart attacks 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 programmes. 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. If you were to take a survey of 100 persons and ask them what the number-one killer of women in Jamaica and globally is and most persons would not say, heart disease. Most don’t even know what are considered healthy levels for cardiovascular risk factors like blood pressure and cholesterol.

The HFJ is in its seventh year of staging ‘Go Red For Women’ as it continually seeks to raise awareness of heart disease as the number-one killer of women.

The week of activities will culminate with Wear Red Day on Friday, May 10. On this day, women and men show their support by wearing red to build awareness and inspire action. The Go Red For Women movement works to make sure women know they are at risk so they can take action to protect their heart health.