Tag Archives: heart disease

Go Red For Women and Heart Health

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As the number one killer of women nationally, heart disease claims the lives of nearly 500,000 women annually in the United States. This Friday, Feb. 7, DHEC is encouraging everyone to wear red to help raise awareness for women and heart disease.

In 2003, the American Heart Association introduced a new initiative known as “National Wear Red Day” to inform women of the dangers of ignoring their heart health and to teach them how to improve their heart and overall health. “Go Red Day” is held on the first Friday in February and encourages both women and men to dress in red clothing to show their support for heart disease awareness.

Since the inaugural “National Wear Red Day,” there have been significant accomplishments achieved to reduce the number of women dying from heart disease, including:

  • Nearly 90 percent of women have made at least one healthy behavior change.
  • More than one-third of women have lost weight.
  • More than 50 percent of women have increased their exercise.
  • 6 out of 10 women have changed their diets.
  • More than 40 percent of women have checked their cholesterol levels.
  • One-third of women have talked with their doctors about developing heart health plans.
  • Today, nearly 300 fewer women die from heart disease and stroke each day.
  • Death in women from heart disease has decreased by more than 30 percent over the past 10 years.

Join us, this Friday as we Go Red for women and heart health.

From Other Blogs: Risk Factors for Heart Disease, Emergency Preparedness Month, Food Waste Behavior

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A collection of health and environmental posts from other governmental blogs.

5 Key Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Heart disease is common among Americans. In fact, it’s the leading cause of death in the United States. The good news is there are things you can do to prevent this from happening to you. – From Flourish, Prisma Health’s blog

 

Welcome PrepTember: The Readiest Time of the Year

September is a busy month, and not just because that’s when all things pumpkin spice start showing up on store shelves and coffeehouse menus. Here are few reasons why September is possibly the busiest time of year for emergency and risk communicators, including those of us here at the Center for Preparedness and Response (CPR). – From Public Health Matters, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) blog

 

The Psychology of Food Waste: An Interview with Brian Roe and Laura Moreno

What’s the psychology behind food waste and what can we do to change our behavior? This interview features insights from Brian Roe, Professor and Faculty Lead at The Ohio State University’s Food Waste Collaborative and Laura Moreno, who received her Ph.D. studying food waste at the University of California, Berkeley. – From U.S. Department of Agriculture’s blog

South Carolina Health at a Glance: Chronic Disease and Risk Factors (Part 1)

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Our next installment of the 2018 Live Healthy State Health Assessment summaries covers chronic disease and risk factors. Because this section lists many chronic diseases that affect South Carolina, we will summarize in three sections. Check out our previous posts:  overview of the report, South Carolina demographics, leading causes of death and hospitalization, cross-cutting, access to healthcare, and maternal and infant health.

Key Findings

Obesity

  • South Carolina had the 12th highest adult obesity rate in the nation in 2016.
  • In 2016, the prevalence of obesity among non-Hispanic Blacks was 42.8% and was higher compared to non-Hispanic Whites (30.2%).
  • The prevalence of obesity was higher in adults with an annual household income less than $15,000 (40.8%) than among those with income $50,000 and higher (28.4%).

Prediabetes

Prediabetes, sometimes called “borderline diabetes” is a condition in which someone has a blood sugar (glucose) level above normal but not yet in the diabetes range. People with prediabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or experience a stroke. Without lifestyle changes to improve their health, 15% to 30% of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within five years.

  • The prevalence of adults in South Carolina diagnosed with prediabetes increased from 6.7% in 2011 to 9.4% in 2016.
  • In 2016, the prevalence of prediabetes was higher in non-Hispanic Blacks (12.5%) compared to non-Hispanic Whites (8.5%).
  • The prevalence of prediabetes was higher in those with a disability (14.7%) than those without a disability (6.9%).

Diabetes

SC Adults with Diabetes_assessment

  • From 2011 to 2016, South Carolina adults with diabetes have remained higher than the median range of the United States.
  • The prevalence of diabetes was higher among adults aged 65 or older than among those under age 65.
  • In 2016, the prevalence of diabetes was higher in non-Hispanic Blacks (16.9%) than in non-Hispanic Whites (11.7%).

 

Hypertension

SC Adults with hypertension_assessment

Hypertension, commonly known as “high blood pressure,” is often called the silent killer because, apart from extreme cases, it has no symptoms. Nearly one in three United States adults have high blood pressure.

  • More than one-third (39.3%) of adults in South Carolina had hypertension in 2016.
  • Seventeen counties had a prevalence of hypertension higher than the state average at 38.7%.
  • In 2016, the prevalence of hypertension increased with age.

 

Arthritis

Arthritis is the term used to describe more than 100 diseases and conditions that affect joints, the tissues that surround the join, and other connective tissue.

  • The percentage of South Carolina adults who have been told they have arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia increased from 27.9% in 2011 to 30.1% in 2016. The median percentage of arthritis was 25.8% in the United States in 2016.
  • Over 57% of adults ages 65 years or older reported having arthritis in 2016.
  • The prevalence among disabled adults (56.2%) was three times higher than those adults who were not disabled (16.8%).

Heart Disease

About 610,000 Americans die each year from heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States.

SC heart disease deaths_assessment

  • South Carolina had a lower death rate compared to the United States (94.3 per 100,000) and met the Healthy People 2020 goal of 103.4 coronary heart disease deaths per 100,000 population in 2016.
  • Men (123.3 per 100,000) had a higher death rate than women (57.6 per 100,000) in 2016.
  • Non-Hispanic Blacks (96.0 per 100,000) experienced a higher death rate than non-Hispanic Whites (85.7 per 100,000).

 

Stroke

SC Stroke Deaths_assessment

Stroke was the fifth leading cause of death in the United States in 2016, and is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. About 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year.

  • In 2016, South Carolina had the sixth highest stroke death rate in the nation and is part of the “Stroke Belt,” a group of Southeastern states with high death rates.
  • Stroke was the fifth leading cause of death in South Carolina, resulting in 2,627 deaths in 2016.
  • Stroke resulted in 16,484 hospitalizations in South Carolina in 2016, with charges of more than $952 million.

In our next section, we will summarize nutrition, physical activity, and cigarette smoking in South Carolina adults. For more detailed information about chronic diseases and risk factors that affect our state, visit https://www.livehealthysc.com/uploads/1/2/2/3/122303641/chronic_disease_and_risk_factors_sc_sha.pdf.

Love on You Today for Chronic Disease Day

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Did you know that six in ten adults in the United States have a chronic disease and four in ten adults have two or more?  Chronic diseases are defined as conditions that last one year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities, daily living or both.  They include but are not limited to:

  • Heart Disease
  • Cancer
  • Lung Disease
  • Stroke
  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Diabetes
  • Kidney Disease

Heart disease, cancer and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many chronic diseases are caused by a short list of risk behaviors:

Chronic Disease Day was created to raise awareness and increase adoption of self-care best practices to encourage prevention and reduce risk.  Use today to kickstart a healthier lifestyle.  Here are some tips for better self-care:

  • Reduce stress and anxiety.
  • Eat a balanced diet.
  • Get moving. Start slow and go at your own pace.
  • Schedule your routine checkups.
  • Drink plenty of water.
  • Build a positive support system.

Priority 2 of the South Carolina State Health Improvement Plan is detailed with ways community partners plan to promote healthy lifestyles and environments that prevent chronic conditions. A glance at our state’s current chronic disease statistics can be found in the 2018 South Carolina Health Assessment, where the assessment analyzes obesity, prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, nutrition, physical activity, arthritis, heart disease, stroke, cancer and smoking from 2011 to 2016.  South Carolina adults have higher rates than the national average in nearly every category of chronic disease.

Learn more self-care tips to keep avoid or improve chronic disease at https://chronicdiseaseday.org/.

From Other Blogs: American Food Dollars, Stroke Risk Factors for Women, Prepare Your Health for Hurricane Season

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A collection of health and environmental posts from other governmental blogs.

Where Do Americans’ Food Dollars Go?

In 2017, consumers in the United States spent $1.2 trillion on U.S.-produced food. Nearly all food starts out on a farm, but did you ever wonder how the value added from processing, packaging, transporting, and marketing agricultural food products factors into the costs? – From U.S. Department of Agriculture’s blog

 

Risk factors for stroke every woman should know

More women die from stroke than breast cancer every year. Shocked? It’s true. In fact, stroke is the third leading cause of death in women, while it is the fifth for men, and women are more likely to have another stroke within five years of their first stroke. So what is it that makes strokes affect women differently than men? Anil Yallapragada, MD, Palmetto Health-USC Neurology, explained. – From Flourish, Prisma Health’s blog

 

Prepare Your Health for Hurricane Season

In all, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), of which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a member, has a list of 21 names that they will use this year to identify hurricanes during the Atlantic hurricane season.  What’s in a name? A major hurricane by any name is hazardous to public health and safety, potentially life threatening, and important to prepare for.

– From Public Health Matters, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Blog