American Heart Month is observed every February to raise awareness on the importance of having a healthy heart and also to encourage healthy habits that help reduce the risk of heart disease. In December 1963, the then US President Lyndon B. Johnson established February as American Heart Month. The first heart health month was celebrated in February the following year. The first Friday of American Heart Month is also celebrated as National Wear Red Day.
Why American Heart Month?
Observation of the month comes from the urgent need to highlight in the importance of cardio health, considering the alarming statistics around it. More than 600,000 Americans die from heart disease every year. Not only is heart disease the greatest health threat to Americans, it is also one of the leading causes of death worldwide according to the American Health Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2021 report. Cardiovascular diseases account for 30% of deaths worldwide. That is a figure of 18.6 million people across the globe. Of these, more than three-quarters are due to coronary artery disease and stroke.
The human heart
The human heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body and carries metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to the lungs. The human heart is roughly the size of a closed fist and is located between the lungs, in the middle compartment of the chest. It is divided into four chambers – upper left and right atria and lower left and right ventricles.
What causes heart disease?
Smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and poorly managed diabetes are the biggest risk factors for heart disease.
Activities during the month
During American Heart Month, organizations like AHA reinforce the importance of heart health, the need for more research and efforts to ensure that millions of people live longer and healthier. Awareness is spread about the fact that a healthy lifestyle can prevent heart disease. One needs to abstain from smoking, maintain a healthy weight, keep blood sugar and cholesterol under control and necessarily do moderate physical activity regularly. It is also important to get period health check-ups.
Government and heart disease prevention
The US President Jo Biden has issued a proclamation that reinforces the government’s commitment to raising awareness of the risks of heart disease, remembering those we have lost to the disease, and highlighting steps we can take to save the lives of many loved ones and address the unequal burden of heart disease in high-risk communities. The American society has, through research and innovation, made considerable progress in recent years to advance our knowledge and treatment of heart disease. New technologies have allowed us to prevent, diagnose and treat heart disease better, faster and more effectively than before.
The President stated that despite the significant progress we have made, heart disease continues to exact a heart-breaking toll. It has become a burden disproportionately shouldered by Black and brown Americans, Native American and Alaska Natives, and people living in rural communities. Cardiovascular diseases including heart conditions and strokes are the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths, which are highest among women of colour. It is important to address these disparities and work towards improving heart health. In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more important to pre-empt the risk of severe illness and long-term effects from COVID-19. The Congress has been tasked with launching a new initiative named Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health or ARPA-H which would invest billions of dollars in preventing, detecting, and treating cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and other deadly diseases.
