Heart disease is the number one killer for all Americans. And, according to a recent Heart Health Survey by the Cleveland Clinic, while most Americans are concerned about dying from heart disease, there is still a need for increased education on heart disease risk factors and their implications. Even though a majority Americans understand that their blood pressure, weight, LDL cholesterol are important factors regarding the risk of heart disease – just over a third (36%) understood that waist circumference is an important factor as well.
Further, while half of those surveyed (52%) are aware that a high Body Mass Index/BMI is risk factor for heart disease – only about a quarter (23%) know that a person is considered overweight with a BMI of 25 or more. Even, perhaps more surprisingly, more than half (59%) of Americans incorrectly think that knowing one’s heart rate is an important factor in calculating heart disease. And, the vast majority of Americans (88%) of Americans do not know they should start getting cholesterol screened at age 18 to 24.
The survey also uncovered that there clear disconnects on the link between blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. A majority of Americans know that uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to a heart attack (75%), stroke (74%), heart failure (62%) and death (60%). However, fewer know that uncontrolled high blood pressure can also cause aneurisms (45%).
This is why it so important, in the fight against heart disease, for Americans to know their numbers and how these risk factors can impact their heart health. During this tour, Dr. Leslie Cho, Director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Women Cardiovascular Center will discuss:
· Why is heart disease the number one killer for Americans?
· According to a recent survey by the Cleveland Clinic, many American’s know some of the risk factors of heart disease – but where are we getting it wrong?
· What are the numbers that are most important for us to know when it comes to combating heart disease?
· Where can viewers/listeners go to for more information on what we discussed here today?
