In recognition of February as American Heart Month and February 2 as National Wear Red Day, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) is encouraging all New Jerseyans to make heart health their goal. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. In New Jersey, it is the number one cause of death, claiming more than 18,000 lives annually.
“Everyone needs to take heart health seriously,” said Acting Commissioner of Health Shereef M. Elnahal, MD, MBA. “Preventing heart disease begins with knowledge and awareness of the risks and symptoms and taking the right steps to protect your heart.”
A study published in the December 2017 Annals of Epidemiology shows that adults are developing heart disease at younger ages. National trends for heart disease death rates are declining more slowly than in the past, especially among adults ages 35 to 64. In many U.S. communities, the study found that death rates were increasing among adults in this age group.
Not only are people dying of heart disease at a younger age, but risk factors that contribute to poor heart health are increasing. “Physical inactivity, tobacco use and hypertension increase the likelihood of developing heart disease,” said Acting Commissioner Elnahal. “The good news is people can often prevent heart disease by making healthy choices involving diet and exercise, and by managing their health conditions such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels.”
Heart disease can happen at any age. The CDC offers five steps to help everyone maintain their heart health:
- Find time to be active. Aim for at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week. Invite fitness buddies to join you, try an exercise class, or challenge the family to a soccer match
- Make healthy eating a habit. Look for ways to lower sodium and trans-fat intake, and add more fruits and vegetables
- Quit tobacco – for good. Smoking cigarettes and using other tobacco products harms nearly every organ in your body, including your heart. For support and help to quit call the New Jersey Quitline at 1-866-NJSTOPS
- Know your numbers. High blood pressure and high cholesterol are major risk factors for heart disease. Ask your healthcare provider to check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels regularly, and take the necessary steps to control them
- Stick to the ‘script. Maintaining a medication routine as prescribed is important for managing and controlling conditions that might put the heart at risk
No one is immune from heart disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S., accounting for one in every four deaths. Yet only 54 percent of women recognize that heart disease is their number one cause of death.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of National Wear Red Day, launched in 2003 by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to call attention to the fact that heart disease claims the lives of nearly 500,000 American women each year.
In New Jersey, more than 11,000 women die of heart disease and stroke annually. Women account for nearly half of deaths due to diseases of the heart (more than 9,000), and 58 percent of stroke deaths (nearly 2,000). An estimated 2.5 percent have been diagnosed with angina or coronary heart disease, and an estimated 2.5 percent report they have had a stroke. An estimated 3.1 percent report having had a heart attack.
According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most ethnicities in the United States, including African Americans, Hispanics, and whites. For American Indians or Alaska Natives and Asians or Pacific Islanders, heart disease is second only to cancer.
For more information on improving heart health and preventing heart disease, visit the NJDOH website at http://nj.gov/health/fhs/chronic/heart-disease-stroke/, the AHA at http://www.heart.org/, and the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm. For more information on the AHA’s Go Red for Women Campaign, visit http://www.goredforwomen.org.
Follow the New Jersey Department of Health on Twitter @njdeptofhealth, Facebook /njdeptofhealth, Instagram @njdeptofhealth and Snapchat @njdoh.
