National Cholesterol Education Month

September is National Cholesterol Education Month, a good time to get your blood cholesterol checked and take steps to lower it if it is high. National Cholesterol Education Month is also a good time to learn about lipid profiles and about food and lifestyle choices that help you reach personal cholesterol goals.

High blood cholesterol affects over 65 million Americans. It is a serious condition that increases your risk for heart disease. The higher your cholesterol level, the greater the risk. You can have high cholesterol and not know it. Lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens your risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of having a heart attack or dying of heart disease.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers helpful resources to use during National Cholesterol Education Month.

For Individuals

• High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know
• On the Move to Better Heart Health for African Americans, Available only in print
  (Be sure to see Section 4: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check)

Get these public education booklets for yourself and share them with family and friends.

For Persons with High Blood Cholesterol Who Need to Lower It

• Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC)
  This booklet is a "must read." It offers lots of practical advice for steps you can take to reach a lower cholesterol and to improve your lipid profile.

Heart Healthy Recipes

• Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes
• Heart Healthy Home Cooking African American Style
• Delicious Heart Healthy Latino Recipes

For Community Group Education Programs

Offer an educational session for groups who may benefit from a better understanding of cholesterol. Use these teaching tools:

• With Every Heartbeat Is Life program for African Americans: Session 5: Be Heart Smart: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check, Available only in print
• With Every Heartbeat Is Life Picture Cards, Available only in print
• Your Heart, Your Life: Session 5: Be Heart Smart: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check, Available only in print
• Su corazón, su vida: Sesión 5: Sea bueno con su corazón: Mantenga su colesterol bajo control (Spanish), Available only in print
• Your Heart, Your Life/Su corazón, su vida Picture Cards, Available only in print

Make cholesterol information booklets available at your worksite, health center, community center, or HMO. Have plenty of copies on hand for screening events.

• High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know
• On the Move to Better Heart Health for African Americans, Available only in print
  (Be sure to see Section 4: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check)

For Clinicians

Refresh your skills in cholesterol assessment and management with:

• Summary Report: Third Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III = ATP III)
• ATP III at a Glance: Physician's Quick Desk Reference
• ACC-AHA-NHLBI Clinical Advisory on the Use and Safety of Statins
• ATP III Update 2004: Implications of Recent Clinical Trials

For Everyone

• Online Heart Disease Risk Calculator Tool

For Bulletin Board Displays

Use pages from these resources to create an educational display in September:

• High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know
  
  
• Tables and Text from Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC)
  • What's Your Heart Disease Risk? - p. 8
  • What's Your 10-Year Risk for a Heart Attack? - pp. 10-12
  • Drop Your Cholesterol with TLC - p. 16
  • Setting Your LDL Goal - p. 9
  • The TLC Diet: A Heart Healthy Eating Plan - p.19
  • Sample Saturated Fat Intakes - p. 22
  • Fiber Solutions - p. 28
  • Fiber Really Counts - p. 29
  • How to Make Heart Healthy Meals - pp. 39-40
  • Losing Weight and Gaining Heart Health - pp. 49-50
  • How to Lower Your Calories on TLC - p. 50
  • Choose the Foods That Help You Lose - pp. 51-52
  • A Handy Guide to Calories Burned in Common Activities - p. 46
  • Benefits of Regular Physical Activity - p. 42
  • Getting Active - p. 44
    
    
• Theme pages from the Healthy Choices, Keep the Beat Calendar 2008, Available only in print
  • For September, June, July, August, March and April
  • September - Control Cholesterol
  • June - A Great Time to Try New Activities + Gazpacho Soup Recipe
  • July - Get Moving with Your Family
  • August - Try Short Activity Bursts
  • March - Eat Smart for Your Heart + Spicy Baked Fish Recipe
  • April - How Much Physical Activity Should Your Family Get?