Women's Heart Alliance Partnership with the Ohio State University

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Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, did you know that the rate of heart disease is increasing the fastest among young women, especially among African- American and Latina women, and that stroke is still considered a silent killer?

Young women need to better understand the risks and how to better prevent heart disease--in addition to spreading the word to their loved ones.

That is why I support The Ohio State University and the Women's Heart Alliance's new unique partnership to screen and educate college-aged women about their risk for heart disease and how they can prevent it.

Death rates from heart disease have been virtually stagnant in young women over the last two decades.

In the United States, heart disease kills more women each year than all cancers combined.

Yet, forty-five percent of women are unaware that it is their number one health threat.

Mr. Speaker, we need awareness, education and advocacy to tackle this epidemic.

Dr. Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, Associate Vice President for Health Promotion, Chief Wellness Officer, and Dean and Professor of the College of Nursing at The Ohio State University said it best, ``We must act with urgency to teach young women how they can prevent heart disease by engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week, 5 fruits and vegetables per day, no smoking, and stress reduction. They and their loved ones' lives depend on it.''

Mr. Speaker, we cannot leave women's health to chance.

Heart disease is deadly, but it's also largely preventable.

Let's help educate young women in my district, across Ohio, and beyond about the risk factors of cardiovascular disease, so they develop heart-healthy behaviors long before the symptoms of heart disease ever develop.

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