Celebrate National Wear Red Day the First Friday in February
The 1st Friday in February
is National Wear Red Day
National Wear Red Day® is dedicated to raising awareness of heart disease in women.
In the U.S. we celebrate it on the first Friday in February every year. The U.K. also has a Wear Red Day, but it’s celebrated on February 26 every year.
We all know heart disease can be deadly for men. But fewer people realize it’s also the #1 killer of women in the United States. It’s also very preventable.
But you have to know about it to prevent it. That’s why Heart Truth–an awareness campaign aimed at getting the word out about women and heart disease–created National Wear Red Day in 2003. The campaign is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
A Few Heart Disease Facts
Heart disease kills one woman every minute.
One in 3 women die of heart disease every year, compared to 1 in 31 who die from breast cancer.
90% of women have at least one risk factor for heart disease.
Risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Heart disease can also run in families.
Hispanic women may develop heart disease as much as 10 years earlier than non-Hispanic white women, on average.
Only 24% of people in heart-related studies are women.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficial holiday.
Celebrating National Wear Red Day
Start by wearing red, of course. The Red Dress® is the Heart Truth’s national symbol for women’s heart disease awareness, but you can wear anything red.
Learn the signs of a heart attack. It’s not always as obvious as the man clutching his chest scene in the movies.
Although the day is “wear” red, the Go Red for Women campaign encourages us to “go red” with more than just our clothing choices to honor this day. In fact, since February is also American Heart Month, you could “go red” all month!
- Bloggers could write an article (or more) about the importance of heart health and awareness.
- Nutritionists could write or tweet about heart-healthy foods … Especially ones that happen to be red.
- Anyone can create a Pinterest Board with a “go red” theme: Pin your favorite red fashions, lipsticks, foods, etc.
- Fitness enthusiasts can write/tweet fitness tips for the day or month.
Get your heart checked. Especially if you have any risk factors for heart disease.
When Are Future National Wear Red Days?
Obviously the date of the first Friday in February changes every year. Here’s a guide to the dates for National Wear Red Day over the next few years:
- 2019- Friday, February 1
- 2020 – Friday, February 7
- 2021 – Friday, February 5
- 2022 – Friday, February 4
- 2023 – Friday, February 3
- 2024 – Friday, February 2
- 2025 – Friday, February 7
- 2026 – Friday, February 6
- 2027 – Friday, February 5
- 2028 – Friday, February 4
- 2029 – Friday, February 2
[…] National Wear Red Day: A day to raise awareness of heart disease in women. Because it kills more women than other, more recognized “women’s diseases” like breast cancer. […]
[…] National Wear Red Day: Help raise awareness of women’s heart disease risks. Because heart disease is not just a male disease! In fact, every minute a woman dies from heart disease. But you can take steps to help prevent it. […]
[…] National Wear Red Day: Wear red and raise awareness of women’s heart disease. This disease gets much less attention in women than in men. But heart disease actually kills many more women than breast cancer. […]