By Mike Kruzman/ news@whmi.com

The State Health Department is encouraging women in Livingston County to learn their risk factors for heart disease.

February is Heart Health Awareness Month. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services WISEWOMAN program is working in partnership with the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Unit and the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign to raise awareness. Heart disease is noted as the number one cause of death of women in the United States, causing roughly 1 in 5 deaths that occurred in 2020.

The WISEWOMAN program and the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Unit both work to identify and communicate risk factors for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and other chronic conditions, according to a release from the MDHHS.

Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian said “being aware of risk factors and also giving people tools they need to lead a healthier lifestyle will improve quality of life” in women and all Michiganders.

The MDHHS reports that most heart and cardiovascular diseases can be prevented with education and living a healthy lifestyle such as not smoking, eating health, engaging in physical activity, managing blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

For more information on risk factors, signs, and symptoms, visit Go Red Women, here: https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/about-heart-disease-in-women?utm_campaign=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

For more on the WISEWOMAN program, call 844-446-8727, or visit: https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-71550_2955_2975_105820---,00.html?utm_campaign=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery