American Heart Month is in February and intends to bring light to the disease that affects 18.2 million Americans. Healthcare workers and heart disease advocates seek to instill knowledge about the leading cause of death in the United States. One of the main goals of heart month is to encourage everyone, but especially women, to focus on their cardiovascular health.

Every 33 seconds someone dies from cardiovascular disease, while every 40 seconds someone has a heart attack. While some may think they will know when they are having a heart attack, studies show that every 1 in 5 heart attacks are silent, so they don’t know until it’s too late. Heart attacks are common in both men and women, but it’s the leading cause of death for women.

Some of the risk factors are quite common, such as having a high fat diet. Similarly, consuming too much sugar regularly can impact your blood sugar and blood pressure. Many of the foods and snacks people crave the most are high in fat and sugars. Also, not having enough physical activity is a risk factor. Whether time or desire is prohibiting exercise, your heart needs it to function. The three highest risk factors are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. If you are worried about your cholesterol level, contact a doctor to get a simple blood test.

In Arkansas, to bring awareness to the cruel disease, Soiree magazine puts on a black tie gala where people can donate money and come together against heart disease. Also, Sophomore girls have the unique opportunity to spend a year volunteering and raising money for charities and organizations that help fund treatments and research in a program called “Sweethearts”. The Sweethearts are recognized every year at the Heart Ball. This year’s Heart Ball is at the Little Rock Convention Center on Saturday February 10, 2024, at 6:00 PM.