LANSING – State Representative Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) this week introduced House Resolution 11 declaring February as Heart Health Month and Feb. 6 as Go Red for Women Day in Michigan.
“Heart disease is the number one killer of women, so I am very pleased to introduce this resolution and draw attention to heart health and how critical it is to encourage women to pay attention to their own heart health,” said Chang.
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease causes one in three women’s deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every minute. Although it is the number one killer of women, only one in five American women believe that heart disease is her greatest health threat.
“Statistics show that 90 percent of women have one or more risk factors for heart disease, so clearly we need to do a better job of educating ourselves about heart disease and what good heart health is,” said Chang. “We know that many cardiac events are preventable if we pay attention to our health, eat sensibly and exercise regularly. By promoting Go Red for Women Day, we can spread the message to women to pay attention to their heart health so that they can live long, happy and productive lives.”
Go Red for Women Day began in 2003, and is held on the first Friday in February every year. The color red was chosen because it is the color of our hearts.