By Natalie Edwards
Special to the Daily Press

CITYWIDE This upcoming Valentine’s Day is a celebration of the heart, which is why the L.A. County Office of Women’s Health is concerned that women aren’t knowledgeable enough about risks to their cardiovascular health.

Heart disease is the chief killer of women, according to data released by the county health officials, and Los Angeles women die from heart disease and stroke at a rate higher than the national average.

“To put it into perspective, a woman dies every minute from cardiovascular disease nationally. Heart disease is still the leading cause of death among women, yet many women do not perceive themselves as being at the same risk as men,” said Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, director of public health for the county.

Instead, women are at more risk than men. In 2005, a majority of cardiovascular deaths, 459,000 or 53 percent, involved women, compared to 411,000 or 47 percent for men. Despite these statistics, many continue to believe that heart disease is principally an affliction suffered by men.

Cardiovascular disease, also known as heart disease, is a blanket term for a number of conditions — coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and heart failure. Factors associated with heart disease include cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and high blood cholesterol, with those possessing two or more of those traits defined as being at increased risk.

In 2006, the American Heart Association conducted a study to evaluate how awareness of the true demographic of heart disease sufferers has shifted since 1997. The association found that while awareness has increased overall, knowledge gaps exist along ethnic and racial lines. Sixty-nine percent of white women reported correctly that cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death among women, compared with around 30 percent of African-American and Latina women.

These statistics are troubling because they are inversely proportional to the prevalence of heart disease among minority women, according to data released by the county. Fifty-two percent of African-American women, compared to 38 percent of Latina women and 35 percent of white women are at increased risk.

“The average gap tells us we aren’t doing enough to reach the women who are really at risk. We need to continue to inform the public and reach out to communities where disease rates are highest,” Fielding said.

Success in fighting the factors associated with heart disease has been mixed. While rates of smoking have declined in the past decade among most demographics, there have been increases in the number of African-American smokers. Levels of obesity have nearly doubled in the same time period, with a substantial number of Angelenos, 37 percent, admitting to a sedentary lifestyle.

“These findings demonstrate some of the real successes of our local public health efforts and underscore the importance of continued efforts to help people adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle,” Fielding said.

To stem the risk of heart disease, health officials recommend 30 minutes of exercise a day, a well balanced, low-fat diet, maintaining a healthy weight, moderate alcohol intake, regular medical check-ups, and abstention from smoking.

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