TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)- The World Heart Day on September 29 is being recognized by the Florida Department of Health in Leon County as an occasion to encourage people to walk to improve their health.
The theme for the day emphasizes that the key to a healthy heart is to “know your heart, fuel your heart, move your heart and love your heart.”
Cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, are the leading cause of death in the United States and Florida. Each year, one in four Americans and one in three Floridians die from cardiovascular disease.
About half of all Americans have at least one of these three risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking.
All Americans are at risk for cardiovascular disease, but the non-Hispanic black community, particularly those in the southeastern United States, have a greater risk. Nearly 44 percent of African-American men and 48 percent of African-American women have some form of cardiovascular disease.
With cardiovascular health, many factors that cause an early death can be controlled through lifestyle changes.
Health officials offered tips about how each day people can strive to protect their hearts and the hearts of those they love:
- Walk with your family and encourage your friends to walk with you.
- Visit with your doctor to talk about your heart health.
- Eat healthy by cooking heart healthy meals.
- Quit smoking by using Tobacco Free Florida’s Quit Your Way Program.
Visit worldheartday.org to find out what you can do to take part in this year’s World Heart Day. To learn more about stroke and heart attack resources, visit floridahealth.gov/stroke and flhealth.gov/heart.
MOBILE USERS: Download our WTXL news app on your Apple and Android devices for the latest from South Georgia and North Florida. Also, download our WTXL Weather Now app for Apple and Android devices to get the latest local weather wherever you go.
Copyright 2017 WTXL via Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
