Heart Disease Continues as Leading Killer of Women
The commercial starts with a single, lonesome, piano key being played over and over. Images grace the television screen of everyday women doing everyday things. The ominous string section plays in the background as a gravelly, vaguely menacing male voice starts to speak. "I love women. I love older women, professional women, stay at home moms. I love how women put the family first. I love how you're so concerned that I'll get to your husband first. You have no idea that I'm coming after you." Then a female voice utters the three words MAKE DEATH WAIT.
This advertisement is entitled "Death Loves Women". It is a new campaign sponsored by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. The ads are grim, but eye-catching. They make you pause and reflect. You can see yourself in those images, the working mother, the mother pushing a baby stroller, the mother encouraging her daughter to toilet train.
The purpose of this campaign is to heighten our awareness of heart disease in the female population. We all have heard the numbers before, but repeated messaging has made the threat somewhat mundane. Heart disease awareness initiatives don't have the same sexy cachet as the "Pink Ribbon" campaigns for breast cancer research.
However, awareness is key. Heart disease continues to be the number one killer of women in the U.S. It kills more females than all cancers combined. Ninety percent of women have at least one risk factor for heart disease. While women may be aware of their own risk factors, many discount them; the threat of heart attack or stroke seems remote.
The statistics are grim. One in three women will die of cardiovascular disease. Women who have a heart attack do not always have the same symptoms as men. While some women will experience the classic chest pain, many will not. Often women may experience generalized symptoms such as sweating, headache, and shortness of breath. They may minimize their symptoms, increasing their risk of dying of a heart attack.
However, as the caregivers of so many, we too must take care of ourselves. There are many risk factors for cardiovascular disease which are modifiable--obesity, smoking, over-consumption of salt, and lack of physical activity. So on this Valentine's Day, let us remember our hearts, and keep them beating strong for years to come.
Make death wait.
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