The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Rings In
National Wear Red Day with the Red Dress Collection 2006
Female Musical Artists Rock the Runway to Remind Women of Their
No. 1 Killer
New York, NY—The Heart Truth, NHLBI’s national
awareness campaign for women about heart disease, celebrates National
Wear Red Day with the debut of its annual Red Dress Collection Fashion
Show. Reminding women that “Heart Disease Doesn’t Care
What You Wear—It’s the No. 1 Killer of Women,”
The Heart Truth will bring to life the Red Dress, the national
symbol for women and heart disease awareness. A star-studded cadre
of female musical artists, including Sheryl Crow, LeAnn Rimes, Amerie,
Lindsay Lohan, and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, will model designer
Red Dresses by 21 of America’s most influential designers,
including Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, and Calvin Klein.
With the support of the fashion and entertainment industries and
Red Dress Collection 2006 co-sponsors Johnson & Johnson and
affiliated companies, and Celestial Seasonings, and Swarovski, the
fashion show will feature a live musical performance and will be
held at 3 p.m. on February 3, under the tents at Olympus Fashion
Week at Bryant Park in New York City.
The effort aims to spread the word that heart disease is largely
preventable. In fact, just by leading a healthy lifestyle—such
as following a heart healthy eating plan, getting regular physical
activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking—Americans
can lower their risk by as much as 82 percent.
“I’m thrilled that once again a renowned group of fashion
and entertainment icons are uniting to share The Heart Truth
and to show American women that being heart healthy never goes out
of style,” said Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., director of NHLBI,
one of the National Institutes of Health. “All across the
country, millions of women are acting upon this urgent message and
working to improve their heart health.”
NHLBI created and launched the Red Dress as the national symbol
for women and heart disease awareness to deliver an urgent wakeup
call to American women. The creation of the Red Dress provided the
much-needed rallying symbol to unite partners—the fashion
world, women’s health community, major corporations, and voluntary
and community groups—toward a common goal of greater awareness
and better heart health for all women.
NHLBI continues to lead the nation in a landmark heart health awareness
movement that is being embraced by millions, and its Red Dress symbol
has become a widely recognized health symbol across the country.
Lifetime Television, in conjunction with NHLBI, conducted a new
national poll on women’s behaviors and perceptions of heart
disease. The poll found striking improvements in women’s awareness
of heart disease and their acknowledgment of personal risk. According
to the findings, more than half of women correctly identify heart
disease as the leading cause of death among women, up from 46 percent
in 2003, and 31 percent of women feel that they are personally at
risk for heart disease. A comparable survey conducted in 2003 found
that 13 percent of women named heart disease as their own greatest
health risk. Additionally, 39 percent of women recognize the Red
Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness,
up from 25 percent in 2005.
“It’s heartening to see that The Heart Truth
and its partners are succeeding in helping more and more women learn
about their No. 1 killer and understand their own personal risk,”
said Dr. Nabel. ”But we still have more to do to alert women
to the seriousness of heart disease, especially to the dangers of
having multiple risk factors.”
An astonishing 80 percent of midlife women (ages 40 to 60) have
one or more risk factors for heart disease. Having one or more risk
factors dramatically increases a woman’s chance of developing
heart disease because risk factors tend to worsen each other’s
effects. In fact, according to research compiled by NHLBI, having
just one risk factor can increase your chance of developing heart
disease twofold. Two risk factors increase your risk fourfold, while
having three or more risk factors increases your risk for heart
disease more than tenfold.
“It is vitally important for women to talk to their doctors
about their risks for heart disease and to take action today to
lead a heart healthy life,” says Dr. Nabel. “Women are
role models for their children and families, and as women improve
their heart health, they can help improve the health of our nation.”
Some risk factors, such as age (55 or older for women) and a family
history of early heart disease, can’t be changed. Women can,
however, control certain risk factors, such as high blood pressure,
high blood cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, being overweight or obese,
and being physically inactive. For midlife women, the most common
risk factors for heart disease in order of greatest prevalence include,
overweight/obesity, high blood cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
African American and Hispanic women, in particular, have higher
rates of some risk factors for heart disease and are disproportionately
affected by the disease. More than 80 percent of midlife African
American women are overweight or obese, 52 percent have hypertension,
and 14 percent have been diagnosed with diabetes. Some 83 percent
of midlife Hispanic women are overweight or obese, and more than
10 percent have been diagnosed with diabetes.
"As a woman, I'm excited to be part of a campaign that is
raising awareness about our No. 1 killer, and to join such a talented
group of designers and musicians in rocking the Red Dress runway,"
said Grammy-nominated artist Amerie at her Tommy Hilfiger Red Dress
fitting for The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection.
The Red Dress Collection Fashion Show draws an audience of more
than 1,000 people, including fashionistas and prestigious front
row personalities. The Red Dress Collection 2006 Fashion Show features
red dresses created exclusively for The Heart Truth to remind women
of their No. 1 health threat. Modeling these original designs will
be more than 20 celebrated female musical artists including: Amerie,
Bebe Neuwirth, Cheryl Bentyne, Christina Milian, Deborah Harry,
Eartha Kitt, Emmylou Harris, Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, JoJo,
Jossie Perez, LeAnn Rimes, Lee Ann Womack, Lindsay Lohan, Michelle
Phillips, Natasha Bedingfield, Nelly Furtado, Sheryl Crow, Thalía,
and Yolanda Adams, among others.
Participating designers in the 2006 Collection include: Betsey
Johnson, Calvin Klein, Carmen Marc Valvo, Daniel Swarovski, Diane
von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Esteban Cortazar, Kenneth Cole, Kai
Milla, Luca Luca, Max Azria Atelier, Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez,
Nicole Miller, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Richard Tyler, Sean
by Sean Combs, Tommy Hilfiger, Tracy Reese, Vera Wang, and Zac Posen.
"Today, a red dress is more than a fashion statement—it's
a statement of unity, strength, and good heart health. American
women are embracing this national symbol and proving that nothing
is sexier than being healthy," said designer Tommy Hilfiger
who has contributed to the Red Dress Collection for the past four
years. "I'm proud to be part of this groundbreaking effort
to educate and empower women."
The Heart Truth partners include: The Office on Women's
Health, Department of Health and Human Services; the American Heart
Association; WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart
Disease (the nation’s only patient advocacy organization representing
the 8,000,000 American women living with heart disease), and other
organizations committed to the health and well-being of women.
For additional information, visit www.hearttruth.gov.
For downloadable images and photography, please visit www.hearttruth.gov
or ftp://hearttruth.ogilvypr.com
or email your inquiry to media@hearttruth.org.
SATELLITE INFORMATION
Friday Feb. 3, 2006, 8:30-8:45 PM (ET)
C-Band: IA 5/ Transponder 14C
Downlink Frequency 3980MHz
Standard Audio: 6.2 & 6.8 |
Saturday
Feb. 4, 2006, 3:00-3:15 PM (ET)
C-Band: IA 5/ Transponder 13C
Downlink Frequency: 3980 MHz
Standard Audio: 6.2 & 6.8 |
For feed information or hard copy requests, please contact Mark
Isom at 212-895-8305 or misom@vidicom.com.
Please Note: Participants in The Heart Truth’s Red
Dress Collection 2006 Fashion Show were confirmed at time of release.
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