THE HEART TRUTH

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THE HEART TRUTH

• Welcome!

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• What is motivating YOU to learn more about heart
  disease and stroke?

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Todays presentation

• The Heart Truth
• What are heart disease and stroke?
• What are the signs of heart disease and stroke?
• What are womens risk factors?
• How can you reduce your risks?
• How to talk to your doctor

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The Heart and Stroke Foundation

• Research
• Healthy living promotion
• Advocacy

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The Heart Truth campaign

• Developed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation to
• Raise awareness
• Encourage healthy lifestyle choices
• Help women share the truth with others

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Why The Heart Truth?

• Heart disease and stroke
• NOT just a mans disease
• Is a leading cause of death for women in Canada
• Kills seven times more women than breast cancer
• BUTmany heart attacks and strokes can be
  prevented through lifestyle changes.

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What is heart disease?

• Damage to the heart
• Most common type is coronary artery disease
• angina caused by reduced blood supply and oxygen
  to the heart
• heart attack caused by reduction or stoppage of
  blood supply/oxygen

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• Do you know the signs of a heart attack?

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Signs of Heart attack

• Chest discomfort - uncomfortable chest pressure,
  squeezing, fullness or pain, burning or heaviness
• Discomfort in other areas - upper body neck,
  jaw, shoulder, arms and back
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Sweating
• Light-headedness

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What is stroke?

• Damage to a part of the brain
• Four out of five strokes are caused by reduced or
  stopped blood flow

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• Do you know the signs of a stroke?

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Signs of Stroke

• Stroke is a medical emergency. Act FAST.

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Risk factors

• Heart disease and stroke share many risk factors.
  
• RISKS YOU CANT CONTROL INCLUDE
• Family history
• Ethnicity
• Gender

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Controllable risk factors

• Heart disease and stroke share many risk factors
• RISKS YOU CAN CONTROL INCLUDE
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Inactivity
• Stress
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol

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Risk factorssmoking

• doubles the risk of stroke
• reduces blood oxygen
• blocks arteries

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Risk factorssmoking

• doubles the risk of stroke
• reduces blood oxygen
• blocks arteries
• One in four

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Risk factorsobesity

• Obesity can lead to
• high cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• diabetes

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Risk factorsobesity

• Obesity can lead to
• high cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• Diabetes
• More than 50 per cent

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Risk factorsdiabetes

• Three to seven times the risk of heart disease -
  four out of five people with diabetes die of
  heart disease
• High risk of stroke
• Greater risk for women than men

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Risk factorsdiabetes

• Three to seven times the risk of heart disease -
  four out of five people with diabetes die of
  heart disease
• High risk of stroke
• Greater risk for women than men
• Two million have diabetes
• One million have diabetes and dont know it

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Risk factorshigh blood pressure

• Leading cause of stroke
• Increases heart disease risk up to four times

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Risk factorshigh blood pressure

• Leading cause of stroke
• Increases heart disease risk up to four times
• One in five

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Risk factorshigh cholesterol

• Increases risk of
• narrowed arteries
• blood clots
• Invisible - no symptoms
• Can indicate high triglycerides

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Risk factorsinactivity

• Increases heart disease risk twofold
• Increasing activity levels reduces risk

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Risk factorsinactivity

• Increases heart disease risk twofold
• Increasing activity levels reduces risk
• Close to 50 per cent of Canadian women over age
  12 are inactive

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Risk factorsstress

• May indicate higher cholesterol and blood
  pressure levels

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Womens unique health issues

• What kinds of additional risks do you think women
  may have for heart disease and stroke?

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Womens unique health issues

• Menopause
• Cholesterol/triglycerides
• Hormone Replacement Therapy
• Pregnancy
• Oral contraceptives

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Taking action

• Women are
• juggling multiple priorities
• more likely to ignore symptoms of a heart attack
  or stroke
• less likely to receive the same medical treatment
  as men

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Taking action

• What stops women from taking action to reduce
  their risks?

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Taking action

• What do you do to maintain your heart health?

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Suggested steps

• Eat seven to eight servings of vegetables and
  fruit per day
• Quit smoking - avoid second hand smoke
• Get a minimum of 3 sessions of weight-bearing
  exercise plus 150 minutes of moderate to
  vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week
• Limit consumption of saturated and trans fats
• Limit consumption of sodium to one teaspoon per
  day
• Talk to your doctor

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Taking actiontalking to your doctor

• MAKE THE TIME
• Do it BEFORE you experience symptoms
• Make a list of questions to ask (see handout)
• Write down what your doctor says
• Discuss genetic AND lifestyle factors
• Ask your doctor what tests you need

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Make a commitment to your heart health!
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Make a commitment to your heart health!
thehearttruth.ca
facebook.com/thehearttruth
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Share the truth

• The Heart Truth helps you share the truth with
• Interactive website thehearttruth.ca
• The Heart Truth Presentation Kit (like this one!)
• The Heart Truth Viewing Party Kit
• The Heart Truth Fashion Show Kit
• Red Dress pin
• Fundraising

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• SHARING THE TRUTH BRAINSTORM
• Who could YOU share with?
• What are YOUR networks?

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You have the power!

• Heart disease and stroke prevention are up to
  you!
• Its time to make your heart health a priority!

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Questions?