Officials from the City of Petal have continued the tradition of joining in on National Wear Red Day, which is celebrated each year on the first Friday in February to bring attention to heart disease as a leading cause of death for Americans.
In honor of the day, which is sponsored by the American Heart Association, Mayor Tony Ducker signed a proclamation on Feb. 4 at Petal City Hall, flanked by several members of the Cosmopolitan Club of Petal. The proclamation read, in part, “In conjunction with National Wear Red Day, we want to bring attention to the important issue of heart disease and stand with the women of our community today.”
The proclamation was signed by Ducker and five members of the Cosmopolitan Club.
“This is something that we’ve typically done in the city, so it’s really nice to do this in support of this incredible issue,” Ducker said. “Year after year, heart disease is right up there – typically the Number One issue that folks face.
“We always get a knock in the South that we have such good food, but we do need to watch what we eat and get out there and exercise a little bit more. We’re hoping that as a community, we can provide more opportunities for folks to do just that.”
During National Wear Red Day, individuals are encouraged to wear red to bring awareness to the issue of cardiovascular disease. The day urges women to avoid activities that increase the chance of heart disease, including smoking and leading a sedentary lifestyle.
Factors such as family history, diabetes, stress, inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’s Disease, complications during pregnancy, and menopause also are taken into consideration.
To that end, health experts encourage women to quit smoking, change their lifestyle if needed – including becoming more active and improving eating habits – and get routine physical exams.
“Cardiovascular disease in the Number One cause of death in women,” said Mandy Gay, a member of the Cosmopolitan Club of Petal and chairperson of the Health and Wellness Committee. “For me, there’s a lot of family history of heart disease with my family – not necessarily women, because there’s both men and women.
“So I think it’s important that we are aware of ways that we can stay healthy and have your annual heart checkups with your primary care physician, and of course to stay active and exercise. That helps reduce the chances of cardiovascular disease.”
More information on National Wear Red Day – and heart disease in general – can be found online at www.goredforwomen.org, www.nationaldaycalendar.com and https://nationaltoday.com, among other resources.
According to www.nationaltoday.com, one in three adults suffer from high blood pressure, and 17.9 million people around the world died from heart disease in 2016 alone. Eighty percent of heart diseases are preventable with regular physical activity, avoiding tobacco and maintaining a healthy diet.
Further stats show that 12 percent of stroke victims die from that affliction, and 50 percent of women die within five years of having a heart attack. Thirty-three percent of women do not engage in sports or physical activity, and 43 million women currently have some type of heart disease.
Six hundred and fifty-five thousand Americans die annually from cardiovascular disease.
“These ladies (from the Cosmopolitan Club of Petal) are doing a lot of the work, and that’s what’s so great about this, when you get these different entities in our community that are putting so much volunteer time in,” Ducker said. “I’m getting paid to be here and they’re not, so if it’s important to them and it’s important to the people out there, then it’s important to me.”
