Heart Attack

Get Email Updates

Related Topics

More

Heart Attack Guide

Christine Jeffries

Have a question? We're here to help. Ask the Community.

ASK

Free Newsletter

Receive the latest and greatest in women's health and wellness from EmpowHER!

Know Your Risk Factors: Go Red Heart CheckUp

By Mary Kyle HERWriter January 11, 2012 - 8:04pm
 
Rate This
0 comments View Comments
Heart Attack related image Photo: Getty Images

In February, American Heart Month will kick off, and hopefully you’ll come across at least one event that will inspire you to not only learn more about your heart health but take positive action to improve your lifestyle and reduce your heart disease risk factors.

Once the commitment is made to get heart-fit, finding a place to start on the path to a healthier heart can be daunting. Where can you turn for help? Why not try the American Heart Association?

One of the misconceptions that many may have is that the American Heart Association, or AHA, is focused on raising money for heart research. While sponsoring research is certainly one of their endeavors, they do a lot more than just sponsor heart-friendly legislation, raise money, and fund research.

The AHA is also the catalyst for many programs aimed directly at educating the public about heart health and then providing tools to help you implement heart-healthy, life-promoting changes. One of those tools is the Go Red Heart CheckUp.

The Go Red Heart CheckUp is one of the initiatives sponsored by Go Red For Women fundraising activities. Go Red for Women is one of the American Heart Association causes.

The Heart CheckUp provides an opportunity to assess your 10-year heart attack risk, and put together a plan of action from the comfort and privacy of your home. The assessment is short and can easily be completed in less than 10 minutes.

The Heart CheckUp takes you through a series of questions designed to assess where your heart stands on 10 different heart disease risk factors. Questions cover topics such as age, sex, family history, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, diabetes, and fasting blood sugar levels.

The Heart CheckUp tool then provides you with instant feedback regarding individual risk factors for heart disease along with a 10-year heart attack risk factor rating. All feedback is based on your input so be honest! No one will see the results unless you want to share them.

0 comments View Comments
 
Rate This

We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

Mary Kyle HERWriter View Profile Send Message

I'm a full-time free lance writer, editor, and project manager. I've had the privilege of working with some amazing ...

Add a CommentComments

There are no comments yet. Be the first one and get the conversation started!

Image CAPTCHA
By hitting submit, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy

Take our Featured Poll

Diet soda may increase risk of heart attack and stroke. Will this affect your drinking habits? :
View Results