February 5, 2020 – February is American Hearth Health Month and according to the Cleveland Clinic’s 2020 Heart Health Survey, many Americans under-estimate the threat of heart disease. In fact, although heart disease is the leading cause of death in Americans, accounting for 1 in every 4 deaths, 68% of Americans do not know it’s the foremost killer of women. According to the survey, Americans thought breast cancer was the leading cause of death. Men were especially apt to say this (44% vs. 33%). The CDC says about half of Americans have at least one key risk factor for heart disease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking),
Americans can also use more education on the symptoms of a heart attack in women. Many do not know that chest pains (24%), shortness of breath or sweating (28%), pain in the neck or back of jaw (43%), new or dramatic fatigue (55%) and nausea/ vomiting (60%) can signal a heart attack in women. According to the American Heart Association, heart attacks and fatal coronary heart disease will impact an estimated 445,000 women. (link)
What’s more, Americans don’t recognize how much power they have to prevent heart disease – in both men and women. The overwhelming majority of heart disease – 90%– is due to modifiable/controllable risk factors. However, only 8% of Americans know that.
Americans also are misguided on certain steps to take to prevent heart disease. 80% of Americans don’t know the proper time to start getting their cholesterol tested (in your 20s). Americans are also confused about what to eat, with nearly a third mistakenly believing that a low-fat diet is healthiest for your heart (29%) – and with only 19% know that the Mediterranean diet is healthiest for one’s heart. In addition, more than half (58%) of Americans misguidedly believe that taking an aspirin a day is a good way to prevent heart disease.
The good news is that a better diet and any level of exercise benefits the heart. The bad news is that the survey found that more than one-in-ten (14%) Americans never exercise and over half (58%) of Americans get less than the recommended two-and-a-half hours of exercise a week. However, women are more likely than men to say they never exercise (16% vs. 11%) or exercise for less than an hour (22% vs. 15%) during an average week.
