The Heart Truth Road Show, a traveling exhibit about women’s heart health, created by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and presented by Johnson & Johnson, visited shopping malls in five cities across the country to deliver an urgent heart health wake-up call to local women.

Road Show national sponsors included LifeWise™ by RadioShack, Johnson & Johnson REACH® Dental Floss, Cordis Corporation, and Albertsons.

From March through May 2004, the Road Show traveled to Philadelphia, Chicago, San Diego, Dallas, and Miami and reached more than 86,900 consumers, providing them access to the original Red Dress Collection, a stunning red Oscar de la Renta suit from First Lady Laura Bush’s personal collection, and gift bags containing heart health educational materials. Nearly 4,000 consumers participated in free heart disease risk factor screenings and were tested for:

• Diabetes
• High blood cholesterol
• High blood pressure and
• Body mass index

Kick-off events in each city featured members of The Heart Truth’s community partner organizations, the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. WomenHeart members shared their stories of survival and encouraged visitors to take action to lower their heart disease risks, while representatives from ACC spoke at each event and volunteered as consultants to screen participants. Additional photos can also be found in The Heart Truth Image Library.

Are you interested in hosting an event like The Heart Truth Road Show? Get ideas about planning your own Red Dress event by accessing The Heart Truth Online Toolkit.