FEW WOMEN AWARE OF NO. 1 KILLER

If you're a woman, there's a good chance you don't know that you're more likely to die from heart disease than from any other disorder. The latest survey shows only 34 percent of women are aware of their No. 1 killer. The survey of 1,004 women by the American Heart Association posed questions about how women perceive their health risks, how much they worry about them and where and how they are getting information about heart disease and stroke. "In 1997, 30 percent of women viewed heart disease as the leading killer, compared to 34 percent today. We are making some progress in increasing women's awareness of heart disease, but there are still important issues to address," said Dr. Rose Marie Robertson, medical director of the Vanderbilt Women's Heart Institute and president of the American Heart Association. The results were published in the AHA journal Circulation.

Source: Pulse Direct, Inc. & United Press International.

So true, JoJo, that more women need to be educated about their risk. A few of the risk factors for heart disease are family history, smoking, unhealthy diet, and diabetes.

A lot of people in my family are affected by heart disease, and I am now learning a lot about it through my job.