American Heart Month

Samantha Reba

Junior Writer

February is coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean that heart health does! February is American Heart month,¹ and with Valentine’s Day, there is no shortage of hearts. The hearts stand as a wonderful reminder to stay heart healthy throughout the year.

In observance of American Heart Month, Artcraft Health participated in National Wear Red Day, a nationally recognized day for raising awareness about cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is the number 1 killer in women.²

American Heart Month is a great way for families, businesses, and the local community to raise efforts, awareness, and education surrounding heart disease. Education removes barriers and solves challenges. Here are some educational facts you may not have known. According to the National Vital Statistics Reports in 2009, approximately 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year.³ That’s 1 in every 4 people. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and woman, and CVD costs the United States more than $300 billion a year, which includes healthcare services and medications.⁴

So what does this mean? Educate, be educated, and take control over your healthcare.

Heart disease can often be prevented with lifestyle changes, such as dietary improvements or engaging in daily exercise. The American Heart Association suggests at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Artcraft Health can help educate patients of all ages about the signs, symptoms, and risks associated with CVD. In addition to informing them about available on treatment options and strategies for managing the disease, Artcraft Health can guide both patients who have CVD and their healthcare providers along the patient journey to help them determine where the greatest challenges to treatment and wellness lie and develop plans for overcoming them. 

Knowledge empowers, and we as educators have an objective to supply the right message at the right time to the right audience. Keep heart health in mind all year!

   References  

1.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February Is American Heart Month. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HeartMonth. Accessed February 27, 2014. 
2.  Global Atlas on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Control. Geneva 2011. Mendis S, Puska P, Norrving B editors. World Health Organization (in collaboration with the World Heart Federation and World Stroke Organization). http://www.world-heart-federation.org/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Fact_sheets/2012/PressBackgrounderApril2012RiskFactors.pdf. Accessed February 27, 2014. 
3.    Kochanek KD, Xu JQ, Murphy SL, Miniño AM, Kung HC. Deaths: final data for 2009. National vital statistics reports. 2011;60(3). http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr60/nvsr60_03.pdf. Accessed February 27, 2014. 
4. Go AS, Mozaffarian D, Roger VL, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics‑2014 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2014 [Epub ahead of print]