WHAT DRIVES US - American Heart Association

PUBLIC HEALTH
EDUCATION
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
12
Prevention is the key to meeting the American
Heart Association’s goal of dramatically reducing
cardiovascular diseases and stroke by the year
2020. That’s why we’re driven to educate the
public about ways to live longer, healthier lives.
Tackling childhood obesity
The National Football League awarded a $1 million
grant to fund our joint program, the NFL PLAY
60 Challenge, through 2012. This program inspires
students to get the recommended 60 minutes
of daily physical activity. Our work also continued
through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation,
founded by the American Heart Association and the
William J. Clinton Foundation. Recent successes
include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s
commitment of an additional $23.2 million to expand
the Healthy Schools Program through 2014, with
more than 10,000 schools in all 50 states. The
alliance also recognized 275 schools for efforts to
create healthier environments for students, staff
and families.
Go Red For Women
Go Red For Women continues to raise awareness
that heart disease is women’s No. 1 killer, engaging
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
women and changing lives. A total of 1.5 million women
engaged in Go Red, including 200,000 on Facebook.
They’ve improved their health by eating healthier,
exercising and learning Hands-Only CPR.
Go Red mobilizes women through real stories and
entertainment. A new class of “Go Red Women”
was selected from a nationwide casting call.
Celebrities such as Cheryl Hines, Michelle Bernstein,
and Elisabeth Rohm spoke up. Betty White, Valerie
Bertinelli and the cast of TV Land’s “Hot In Cleveland”
appeared in a public service announcement. The third
Go Red NBC television special, featuring Hoda Kotb
and Jennie Garth, reached more than 100 markets.
Go Red Por Tu Corazón continues to raise awareness
in the Hispanic community through relationships with
the Latin Grammy Awards, Univision and celebrities
such as Miss Universe, Ximena Navarette and
Doctora Aliza.
Lowering sodium
The American Heart Association continued to address
the need to lower sodium intake nationwide. We
issued a scientific advisory urging Americans to take
in no more than 1,500 milligrams each day to help
lower risks of heart disease and stroke. And our team
dedicated to sodium reduction continued developing
strategies to help lower consumption levels.
Cookbooks provide heart-healthy recipes, advice
We published new editions of three of our best-selling
cookbooks. The New American Heart Association
Cookbook is now in its eighth edition and sold more
than 3 million copies. The popular Quick & Easy Meals,
now in its second edition, is the long-awaited update
of the best-selling Meals in Minutes. And the 4th
Edition Low-Salt Cookbook helps consumers avoid
hidden sodium and use healthy cooking techniques.
Heart360 ® and My Life Check
Heart360, a free online heart-health center, continued
to help people connect with their healthcare providers
through a centralized, confidential mechanism. My
Life Check continued to help close the gap between
heart-health perception and reality, with more than
187,000 people taking the online health assessment.
Advertising campaign
We influenced behavior change by using an
array of targeted and emerging technology.
The campaign resulted in more than
115 million impressions. Our
engaging Facebook page gained
more than 90,000 new fans and
our Twitter site had more than
10,000 followers.
OCOEE, Fla.
Gloria Boisvert