Wear Red Day: How you can check on your heart health and prevent disease

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Across Wilmington and the country today, people headed out the door this morning in red. It’s an effort meant to remind women to get their health screenings and prevent heart disease early.

One in three deaths among women are caused by heart disease. That’s why today is marked National Wear Red Day, to bring awareness to women’s heart health. It’s part of the American Heart Association’s Heart Month to symbolize that even losing one woman to heart disease is too many.

“Wear Red Day, there’s so much support for that, particularly in the area we live in, Wilmington and New Hanover County, and that’s kind of what we’re trying to represent is see that red and think about your heart,” said Novant Health physician assistant Katie Jones.

Jones specializes in cardiovascular diseases. She said heart health research for a long time focused on men and led people to believe women do not suffer heart disease as frequently. She says that’s simply not true.

“We just weren’t discovering it,” she said. “We weren’t finding it early enough, soon enough, being able to treat it well enough.”

That’s why Wear Red Day acts as a chance to remind women – and everyone – to schedule an annual health screening. That includes regular heart health checks like blood pressure screening.

“Prevention is the best thing to do. Seeing a physician or a PA routinely to be screened for certain things early in life such as blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes.”

That’s why Wear Red Day acts as a chance to remind women – and everyone – to schedule an annual health screening. That includes regular heart health checks like blood pressure screening.

“Prevention is the best thing to do. Seeing a physician or a PA routinely to be screened for certain things early in life such as blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes.”

If you are experiencing symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath, you should see a doctor to prevent the disease and catch it before it becomes life-threatening.

The American Heart Association is also encouraging people to get certified in CPR this Heart Month. When someone goes into cardiac arrest, receiving CPR can be the difference between life and death.

Copyright 2023 WECT. All rights reserved.