National Wear Red Day for Heart Disease Awareness

Olympus Fashion Week Diary: National Wear Red Day for Heart Disease Awareness

Help celebrate the second anniversary of National Wear Red Day , on Feb. 4th, by wearing red with me and women around the country in support of The Heart Truth , a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

In New York on Feb. 4th, Phylicia Rashad, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mariel Hemingway, Sheryl Crow, Christie Brinkley, Ujjwala Raut, Alexandra Richards, Rachel Hunter, Carmen Dell'Orefice, Mickey Sumner, Elettra Rossellini, Carly Patterson, Lara Spencer, Elaine Irwin Mellencamp, Paula Abdul, Vanessa Williams, Venus Williams, Debi Mazar, Patti Hansen, Irina Pantaeva, Candace Bushnell, Sarah Ferguson, Mikki Taylor, Lauren Bush, Sophia Bush and Rosanna Arquette hit the runway on for the Red Dress Collection 2005 Fashion Show during Olympus Fashion Week.

This star-studded cast of celebrities from the arts, theater and sports will don fabulous red dresses in The Tent at Bryant Park by Alia Khan, Badgley Mischka, Baby Phat, Betsey Johnson, Calvin Klein, Carmen Marc Valvo, Carolina Herrera, Catherine Malandrino, Cynthia Rowley, Cynthia Steffe, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Esteban Cortazar, Kenneth Cole, Luca Luca, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez, Nicole Miller, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Richard Tyler, Shannon Stokes, Tommy Hilfiger, Vera Wang, and Zac Posen to help raise awareness of the #1 killer of womenheart disease.

The Red Dress is the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness. Made possible by Johnson & Johnson, Celestial Seasonings, and Swarovski.

First Lady Laura Bush is The Heart Truth campaign ambassador and will be in attendance.

Since 1984, heart disease has killed more women than men; however, awareness levels of this important health issue among women had remained low for decades. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute launched The Heart Truth to raise awareness of women and heart disease. The Heart Truth's education efforts, including the efforts of our many partners, are making a difference," says Nabel. According to a new American Heart Association survey, awareness of heart disease as women's number one killer is at an all time high, with awareness increasing from 34 percent to 57 percent in the last four years.

While awareness levels have risen, most women still fail to make the connection between risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and their personal risk of developing heart disease. In the American Heart Association survey, only 20 percent of women identify heart disease as the greatest health problem facing women today, and awareness levels of heart disease as the leading killer of women are lower among African American and Hispanic women.

"It is vitally important for women to talk to their doctors about personal risks for heart disease and to take the steps needed to lead a heart healthy life," says Nabel. "The good news is that heart disease is preventable. Just by leading a healthy lifestyle-such as maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and eating right-Americans can lower their risk by as much as 82 percent."

Heart disease risk factors include those that are beyond women's control and those that can be changed. Those that cannot be changed are a family history of early heart disease and age. The risk factors that can be controlled are smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, and diabetes. While having even one risk factor is dangerous, having multiple risk factors is especially serious, because risk factors tend to "gang up" and worsen each other's effects.

Find out more about heart disease and The Red Dress Campaign at http://www.americanheart.org/