Heart Truth Ambassador Laura Bush

Mrs. Bush hosted a Heart Truth reception at the White House to celebrate the fifth year of Mrs. Bush's service as ambassador to raise heart disease awareness. Eighty million Americans suffer from heart disease, which is the number one cause of death for American men and women. Even though women are more likely than men to die from this condition, many women are not aware of the risks associated with not taking preventive action.

* For the past five years, Mrs. Bush has served as the ambassador for The Heart Truth campaign as part of her Women's Health and Wellness efforts. Through The Heart Truth campaign, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mrs. Bush has been leading the Federal government's effort to give women a personal and urgent wake-up call about their risk of heart disease. Mrs. Bush has talked to women across the country at the community hospital events featuring the experiences of women living with heart disease.

* As part of her work as ambassador for The Heart Truth campaign, Mrs. Bush helped debut the Red Dress Project. This project shines a spotlight on the Red Dress - the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness - with support from America's fashion industry. On February 1, Mrs. Bush participated as The Heart Truth celebrated its sixth year at New York's Fashion Week, during which 15 celebrated women, including Heidi Klum, Ashanti, Liza Minnelli, Sara Ramirez, and Rita Moreno, modeled one-of-a-kind Red Dresses by America's top designers.

The Heart Truth Campaign Helps Women Realize It Is Never Too Late To Take Action To Prevent Heart Disease

The Heart Truth campaign is making women more aware of the dangers and risks of heart disease. The Heart Truth campaign offers a wide variety of resources to help individuals and local communities raise awareness, such as:

* Educational materials for women to learn about heart disease and how to reduce their risks.
* Compelling stories of real women telling how heart disease changed their lives.
* National public service advertising.
* Partnerships with national non-profit organizations reinforced at the local level to extend the campaign's reach and message, including African American and Hispanic organizations.
* Corporate partnerships to expand the reach of The Heart Truth's campaign message.
* Community programs, such as the Single City program, The Heart Truth Champions program, and The Heart Truth Road Show.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute introduced the Red Dress to remind women to take care of their hearts. A 2008 survey shows that five years after the NHLBI launched The Heart Truth campaign, about half of U.S. adult women recognize the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness.

Thanks in part to The Heart Truth campaign, more women are aware that heart disease is the number one cause of death among women. According to a 2008 survey, about half of American women know that heart disease is the leading killer of women, up from 34 percent in 2000. While this shows a remarkable increase in awareness, there is still work to be done. African American and Hispanic women, who are at higher risk of heart disease than white women, continue to have lower rates of awareness.

Fewer American women are dying of heart disease. The Heart Truth campaign is empowering American women to fight back against heart disease, which is often preventable. In 2003, one in three deaths among women was due to heart disease, but data for 2005 - the most recent year for which data are available - show the number dropped to one in four deaths. The yearly decrease in deaths from heart disease since 2000 amounts to 36,703 lives saved.

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