This year marks the 62nd Anniversary of American Heart Month. For the past 56 years, the American Heart Association (AHA) has used the month of February to partner with the media, medical providers and community organizations to spread the word about heart disease prevention and treatment. Heart disease is a leading cause of death for both men and women. Over the years, the American Heart Association has sponsored awareness and education campaigns as well as medical research funding, investing more than $3.5 billion into studies. According to the AMA, this is the most amount of funding of any entity outside the federal government.
The AHA provides the following reminders to encourage you to live a heart-healthy lifestyle:
- Watch your weight.
- Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke.
- Control your cholesterol and blood pressure.
- If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.
- Get active – regular exercise is a verty important of heart health.
- Eat healthy.
Heart Health Facts
- Heart disease & stroke kill about 30 NC women/day.
- Nearly half of African American women live with heart disease.
- About 23% of adult men and about 18% of adult women smoke.
- Stroke is among the Top 5 Cause of Death for Women in almost every state.
- Overweight women are 18%-30% more likely to have babies with heart defects.
- 22% of schools do not require physical education.
- Nearly 10 million kids and adolescents ages 6 – 19 are considered overweight or obese.
- Roughly 17% of children and adolescents ages 6 to 17 years—or about one in six—have obesity, according to 2022–2023 data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)—a national survey funded and directed by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau that has been fielded annually by the United States Census Bureau.
- Research from the 2024 review in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that about 21% of U.S. adolescents ages 12 to 17 years have obesity.
- Each day, only 2% of children receive the right amount of fruit and veggies.