Nov. 4--Women often believe breast cancer is their No. 1 health risk, but it's not.
Heart disease kills more women than the five next most common causes of death combined, said Indiana first lady Cheri Daniels, who spoke Monday at Indiana State University.
Daniels, who has used her position to promote improved heart health for Hoosier women, told around 60 people at ISU that heart disease is a woman's disease.
Heart disease is by far the top killer of American women, said Cindy Adams, a nurse practitioner and director of the Indiana Heart Hospital, who also spoke at Monday's event. Nearly a half million American women die of heart disease annually, Adams said. That is the equivalent of a 9/11 attack every 2 1/2 days, she said.
Women are more likely than men to die after their first heart attack, are less likely to receive heart therapy and are less likely to do well with therapy, Adams said.
To promote better heart health among Hoosier women, Daniels started "Heart to Heart," a program sponsored by the office of the first lady and the State Department of Health Office of Women's Health, around four years ago, she said. Around 100 people got free health screenings as part of the Heart to Heart program at ISU on Monday.
College-age women need to know about the risks of heart disease so they can make lifestyle changes while they are still young, Daniels said. She also noted that heart disease is occurring in younger and younger women -- some in their late 20s, she said.
Of the nearly 400 people who died of heart disease in a one-year period in Vigo County recently, well over half were women, said Veda Gregory, an associate professor of nursing at ISU. "More women than men are dying from heart disease in Vigo County," she said. Yet only around 13 percent of women believe heart disease is a serious health risk for them, she said. "There's a lot of education to do," Gregory said. "This should be a priority for us."
Daniels said her mother suffered from heart disease and that "kind of opened my eyes" to the problem of heart disease among women, she said. Until then, she always believed heart disease was a man's disease.
Around 8 million American women are currently living with heart disease, said Darlene Hantzis, a professor of communications and women's' studies at ISU. Yet, even among health care professionals, it is not widely understood heart disease is a woman's disease, she said.
While some factors that contribute to heart disease cannot be changed, such as sex, age and family history, other factors can be influenced by our actions, Daniels said. Exercise, eating healthier food, getting annual checkups and avoiding smoking can improve heart health, she said.
While rates of smoking and exercise have not changed much in the past 10 years, obesity continues to rise in Indiana, Adams noted. "Take baby steps" in improving your diet, Adams said. It is not necessary to change your diet completely in one day, she said.
Because the symptoms are similar, women are sometimes told they are suffering from depression when they are actually experiencing heart disease, Adams said. "That's a real issue," she said.
Free screenings for blood pressure, body mass, cholesterol and glucose were part of Monday's Heart to Heart event. Also, ISU sororities used the event to raise money for the Vigo County Minority Health Coalition, which took part in the program along with Terre Haute Regional Hospital and Union Hospital.
"We're raising money and raising awareness but we're also giving back to the community," said Paula Meyer, an ISU communications official at the event. Sororities involved in Monday's Heart to Heart event were Chi Omega, Alpha Phi and Zeta Phi Beta, Meyer said.
Daniels urged women to take a pledge on the state's Web site to improve their heart health and tell other women about the dangers of cardiovascular disease. "Let's all spread the word and let's all be heart healthy," she said.
For more information on Indiana's Heart to Heart program, including tips on improving your heart health, see the state's Web site at www.in.gov/gov/firstlady.
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
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