St. John's Hospital employees "Go Red for Women," a campaign to raise awareness of heart disease in women
|
|
Go Red for Women - Heart Disease Campaign
St. John's Lutheran Hospital
February 5, 2007
Too few people realize that heart disease is the number one killer of women, more than all forms of cancer and the next six leading causes of death combined. But the good news is that heart disease can largely be prevented. The American Heart Association has evolved its campaign to encourage women to improve their heart health while taking action to fight women’s heart disease.
“Go Red For Women” is just one of the many campaigns that St. John’s participates in to help increase awareness on specific health issues that affect our community and our employees,” commented K.C. Hoyer. “As a health leader in our communities, we feel it is our job to not only offer medicine and cures, but to offer prevention and wellness information as well. Campaigns like ‘Go Red For Women’ give us the ability to get the word out and keep people informed.”
A healthy diet and lifestyle are key weapons in the fight to prevent cardiovascular disease - the nation's No. 1 killer - according to new American Heart Association diet and lifestyle recommendations. Intended for healthy Americans age 2 and older, the recommendations which replace guidelines issued in 2000 now recommend:
- Further reducing saturated and trans fatty acids in the diet.
- Minimizing the intake of food and beverages with added sugars.
- Emphasizing physical activity and weight control.
- Eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole-grain foods.
- Avoiding use of and exposure to tobacco products.
- Achieving and maintaining healthy cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
"The key message of the recommendations is to focus on long-term, permanent changes in how we eat and live. The best way to lower cardiovascular risk is to combine physical activity with heart-healthy eating habits, coupled with weight control and avoiding tobacco products," said Alice Lichtenstein, D.Sc., chair of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee and Gershoff professor of nutrition science and policy at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, at Tufts University in Boston.
For a free brochure about the new recommendations called “Making Healthy Food and Lifestyle Choices: Our Guide for American Adults,” visit www.americanheart.org or call 1-800-AHA-USA1.
Related Links:
St. John’s Lutheran Hospital in Libby, www.sjlh.com
|
