Healthwatch

Baltimore Women Dress Up To Spread Awareness

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― Heart disease is the leading cause of death for American women but for African-American women, the risk is even greater.  That's why women throughout Baltimore stepped out in their red Sunday best.

Tim Williams has more on Red Dress Sunday.

"About 55 percent of African-American women are physically inactive," Mayor Sheila Dixon said.

The women of Douglas Memorial Baptist Church in West Baltimore joined more than 80 other churches donning red to raise awareness and to highlight the problem of heart disease. 

"We try and get women to commit to changing their diet, their exercise regimen and lifestyle so that they can live longer and free of heart disease," said Yolanda Copeland, senior vice president of St. Agnes Hospital.

Nationwide, health statistics show cardiovascular disease kills more women than breast cancer.

"It kills more than 100,000 African-American women a year," Copeland said.

But among both African-American men and women, it's the number one cause of death.

"What I know about women and particularly African-American women is we often put ourselves last.  I say you can't take care of anyone in earnest if you don't take care of yourself first," said Baltimore City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

Pastors and politicians say now is the time to get heart-healthy, both spiritually and physically.

"In men, we've actually seen some improvements.  In women, we have not.  So we need to do better as a nation," said Senator Ben Cardin.

"It's not just about the women you see here.  It's really about those who aren't seen here, the ones hidden out of sight and out of mind," said Dr. Todd Yeary, Douglas Memorial Baptist Church's pastor.  "So it's really about getting the information out to churches, so the churches can then carry credible information out to folks who normally would not have access to that information."

This year, 82 churches in the metro area teamed up to educate women about the dangers of heart disease.

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