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Think heart disease is "a man's disease"?
Think again.

Canadian women are facing a life and death health issue, yet most don't know it.

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Think heart disease is "a man's disease"? Think again.

Canadian women are facing a life and death health issue, yet most don't know it.


Feb. 4, 2008, 6 a.m. EST - The Heart Truth campaign was officially launched today by the Heart and Stroke Foundation to alert Canadian women that heart disease and stroke are their leading cause of death.

While heart disease and stroke kill one in three Canadian women, only one in eight know that it's their most serious health concern.1 The Heart Truth, a national public health education campaign, aims to bridge this knowledge gap for Canadian women and healthcare practitioners.

"When it comes to heart disease, many Canadian women are second-class citizens, and don't receive the same kind of care as men,"2 says Bobbe Wood, President and CEO of Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. & Yukon. "Our goal is to save Canadian women's lives by sharing The Heart Truth."

The Heart Truth campaign educates women about identifying their risks and warning signs of heart disease and stroke, and arms them with the information they need to take charge of their heart health. It is especially relevant for women 40 to 60 years old, whose risk increases as they age. The Red Dress will become the symbol for The Heart Truth campaign.

With the assistance of private sector sponsors who are funding the educational campaign, over the next three years, The Heart Truth campaign will deliver its lifesaving message through a website www.thehearttruth.ca, print materials, community outreach, events, advertising, Canada-wide sales of The Heart Truth Red Dress pins, and activities led by The Heart Truth sponsors.

Women's death rates from heart disease and stroke have been climbing steadily for decades, even as men's rates of death from these diseases have declined. The number of deaths from heart disease and stroke is now virtually the same for Canadian women and men (36,491 women versus 35,847 men in 2004).3

"The statistics around Canadian women's death rates from heart disease and stroke are sobering, and unacceptable," says Wood. "The Heart Truth campaign urges Canadian women to take control of their heart health by making lifestyle changes that can reduce their risk by as much as 80 per cent, and bringing attention to the medical community that women's heart health is a serious concern."

The Heart Truth campaign is funded entirely through the contributions of founding sponsor, Becel, and contributing sponsors The Bay, Chatelaine, Ocean Spray, Pfizer, Shoppers Drug Mart and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy.



Sources:
1. Harris/Decima Televox National Telephone Omnibus, December 2007
2. Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 2007 Report Card: Time to bridge the gender gap
3. Statistics Canada, deaths, summary list of causes, 2004