The Peoria City/County Health Department is supporting National Go Red for Women Day on Friday, February 4, 2011 by encouraging everyone to wear red to raise awareness about heart disease among women. Each year, heart disease claims the lives of over 433,000 American women and is still the number one killer, taking the life of 1 in 3 women each year.

The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women works every day to fund research and fight heart disease so that more women can be saved. Go Red for Women also helps support awareness, education, and community programs to benefit women. These programs help advance women’s understanding about their risk for heart disease and how to reduce their risk to protect their health.

Some of the risk factors for heart disease are: high blood pressure, physical inactivity, poor nutrition, overweight/obesity, diabetes, and tobacco use. Tobacco use is the #1 preventable cause of heart disease. As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. However, women are more likely than men to also experience some other common symptoms: shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

For additional information on Go Red for Women Day, call the Peoria City/County Health Department at 309-679-6131. For more information on other important public health issues, visit our website at www.pcchd.org.