One in Four U.S. Women Recognize the Red Dress As the National Symbol for Women and Heart Disease Awareness; Nearly Half Say the Symbol Would Prompt Them to Talk to or See Their Doctor
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ — WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease has commissioned a new national survey showing that just two years since The Heart Truth launched the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness, many adult women may take action to reduce their risk of heart disease.
The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) in January 2005, found that 60 percent of U.S. adult women agree that the Red Dress makes them want to learn more about heart disease. Twenty-five percent of women recalled the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness and 45 percent agreed that it would prompt them to talk to their doctor and/or get a check-up. WomenHeart is a founding partner of The Heart Truth.
The Heart Truth is a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The campaign first introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness during American Heart Month at Fashion Week in February 2003.
Among other key survey findings are:
* 77 percent of women surveyed agree that the Red Dress is an appropriate
symbol for women and heart disease awareness
* 70 percent of women surveyed agree that they would wear the Red Dress
Pin to raise awareness of heart disease among women
* 16 percent of women familiar with the Red Dress report that the symbol
inspired them to take specific action to protect their hearts,
including research information about heart disease, start to eat
healthier, and/or begin to exercise
“I am pleased to see the powerful impact that the Red Dress is having on American women,” said Nancy Loving, executive director of WomenHeart. “Heart disease is our number one killer, and it’s gratifying to learn that women not only recognize this important symbol, but have taken steps toward lowering their risk because of it.”
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 the survey shows that awareness levels have risen, most women still fail to make the connection between risk factors. According to NHLBI, 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. But, regrettably, WomenHeart reports that only 3 percent of American women do these things.
The Red Dress is a red alert: an urgent reminder to every woman to care for her heart. Women around the country have embraced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness and are commissioning traveling exhibitions of The Heart Truth’s red dresses and creating diverse celebrations of women’s heart health, such as health fairs, galas, dances, celebrity teas, power breakfasts, and real women Red Dress fashion shows.
Methodology
Harris Interactive(R) fielded the online survey January 21-25, 2005, among 1,077 U.S. women (aged 18+), of whom 374 read, heard or saw something about the Red Dress symbol. The data were weighted to be representative of the total U.S. adult population on the basis of region, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity, and propensity to be online. In theory, with a sample of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results for the overall sample have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points and the sampling error for women who are familiar with the Red Dress symbol is +/- 5 percentage points. This online sample is not a probability sample.
Harris Interactive Inc., the 15th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, is a Rochester, New York, based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis, and application. Known for The Harris Poll(R) and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results.
WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is the nation’s only patient advocacy organization representing the 8,000,000 American women living with heart disease. It aims to improve their quality of life and quality of healthcare, to include early detection, accurate diagnosis, and proper treatment.
The Heart Truth is a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in partnership with: Office on Women’s Health, DHHS; American Heart Association; WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease; and other organizations committed to the health and well-being of women.
WomenHeart
CONTACT: Nancy Loving of WomenHeart, +1-202-728-7199