Although significant progress has been made in increasing awareness that heart disease is one of the leading causes of death among women, most women fail to make the connection between heart disease risk factors and their personal risk of developing the disease. This disease is largely preventable, but kills more women than all forms of cancer combined.

California Medical Association (CMA) staff and the physicians of California will be wearing red on Friday, February 3, 2017—National Wear Red Day—to help spread the message that heart disease is the leading cause of death among women. Join us on Friday by wearing a red dress, red shirt, or red tie to show your support for women and heart disease awareness. Take a selfie and tweet your photo to @cmaphysicians with the hashtag #GoRedWearRed.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's "The Heart Truth" program created and introduced the Red Dress® as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 to deliver an urgent wake-up call to American women. The Red Dress® reminds women of the need to protect their heart health, and inspires them to take action.

For women ages 40-60, having just one risk factor increases the risk for heart disease by 40 percent. Multiple risk factors multiply that risk. While heart disease risk begins to rise in middle age, heart disease develops over time and can start at a young age, even in the teen years. It's never too early, or too late, to take action to prevent and control the risk factors for heart disease.

To find out more about women and heart disease, visit The Heart Truth website at www.hearttruth.gov and the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women website at www.goredforwomen.org.