September 27th is World Heart Day

Each year, more than 17 million people die from cardiovascular disease, mainly heart disease and stroke, making it the world’s leading cause of death.¹

World Heart Day 2009:  Work with Heart

Controlling certain risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, tobacco use, and physical inactivity, can help prevent heart disease and stroke.

In 2000, the World Heart Federation, a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, created the annual World Heart Day campaign to increase public awareness of the threat of heart disease and stroke.

The theme of the 2009 World Heart Day is "Work with Heart: A workplace that encourages healthy habits can reduce heart disease and stroke." Promoting physical activity and healthful eating and discouraging tobacco use around the workplace are simple ways to foster health in the workplace. Activities organized by members and partners of the World Heart Federation will include runs, public talks, concerts, and sporting events. The national member organizations in the United States are the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

CDC funds heart disease and stroke prevention programs in 41 states and the District of Columbia. Additional information about these programs is available at http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/state_program/index.htm.

Information about World Heart Day and the World Heart Federation is available at http://www.world-heart-federation.org/what-we-do/world-heart-day.

For additional information please contact the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at cdcinfo@cdc.gov.

1. World Health Organization. Preventing chronic diseases: a vital investment. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2005. Available at http://www.who.int/chp/chronic_disease_report.