Women interested in pumping up their heart health should secure a healthy lifestyle. That was the message at the National Woman?s Heart Day Health Fair on Friday.
Sister to Sister sponsored the event at the Baltimore Convention Center to educate women about the risks of heart disease, the biggest killer of women in the United States.
“Heart health knows no gender,” said Dr. Courtney Brown, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Maryland General Hospital, one of the many medical facilities at the event.
Women who attended the free event were screened for cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body mass index measurements. Counseling sessions explained what the numbers meant.
“One woman kept her paper from last year and came back to see that she had made a major difference in her weight and BMI,” said Donna Disney, nurse manager for the emergency room at Mercy Medical Center.
Ladoris Duvall, of Baltimore City, had not seen a doctor about her heart before the fair.
“I will go see one after this, because it affects everyone,” she said. “I learned you have to take better care of yourself.”
How to lose weight was one of the biggest questionswomen had for nurse Liz Schilling, of the University of Maryland Preventative Cardiology unit.
“Every two-pound weight loss reduces your risk of heart disease by 1 percent, so even a modest weight loss is important,” she said.
Schilling provided information on how to keep the heart healthy through good nutrition and exercise.
Fitness and cooking demonstrations occurred throughout the day; health specialists from area hospitals and Sandy Unitas, wife of football legend Johnny Unitas, spoke, encouraging heart health awareness.
