SEYMOUR — The month of February has been designated as American Heart Month nationally. In partnership with the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH), and the American Heart Assocation (AHA), the Naugatuck Valley Health District (NVHD) reinforces the importance of heart health, the need for more research and efforts to ensure that millions of people live longer and healthier lives.
Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. According to the AHA’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, heart disease continues to be the greatest health threat to Americans and is still the leading cause of death worldwide. In most cases of heart disease, it is preventable when people adopt a healthy lifestyle, including not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol, visiting doctors for regular checkups, and getting at least 150 minutes of exercise each week.
For the second year in a row, American Heart Month is more important than ever before due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people have delayed and avoided visiting the doctors office because of their fear of becoming ill, in addition to engaging in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as eating poorly, drinking more alcohol, and limiting physical activity during periods of lockdown and quarantine.
Throughout the month of February, staff members of NVHD will be celebrating American Heart Month and urging its residents to do the same. The first Friday of American Heart Month- February 4, 2022- is National Wear Red Day. Staff will wear red to show their support for heart health and share on our social media platforms what American Heart Month means to them.
NVHD staff will be hosting blood pressure screenings as well as handing out information on heart health, including different exercises and activities, heart healthy recipes, and other general information. We will be hosting these events at our senior centers or other community locations. For dates and times of these events, please check our website www.nvhd.org, social media pages, or contact your local senior center.
NVHD will also be sharing events from the AHA’s website and social media pages on Facebook, including live cooking classes. For more information on American Heart Month and AHA, please visit www.heart.org.
