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Announcements
September is National Cholesterol Education Month
High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease, the
leading cause of death in the United States. Almost 105 million American
adults have total blood cholesterol levels of 200 milligrams per deciliter
(mg/dL) and higher, which is above desirable levels. Of these, an
estimated 42 million persons have levels of 240 mg/dL or above, which is
considered high risk1.
Lowering cholesterol levels reduces the risk of heart disease death
among persons either with or without coronary heart disease. To increase
awareness of the importance of knowing your cholesterol levels and taking
steps to achieve or maintain healthy levels, the National Cholesterol
Education Program (NCEP) sponsors National Cholesterol Education Month
every September. The NCEP recommends that adults aged 20 years or older
have their cholesterol checked once every 5 years. Cholesterol levels can
be lowered through lifestyle changes such as dietary improvement,
increased physical activity, weight control, and by medications.2
The NCEP recently published updated recommendations about
cholesterol treatment particularly for people at increased risk.3
During September, CDC-funded state heart disease and stroke prevention
programs and their collaborators will conduct programs aimed at increasing
awareness and understanding of high blood cholesterol and its impact on
heart disease. For example, the Florida Department of Health provides
press releases in early September and encourages local promotions, and
have set up a Web site of information to help in local promotions. The
North Carolina Department of Health has a social marketing campaign called
"Start With Your Heart," which will focus on "knowing your cholesterol
numbers" in September with new radio spots, brochure, and a new consumer
Web page.
Ohio has developed and implemented a statewide media campaign called
Know your Numbers to promote the importance of knowing the risk factors
for cardiovascular disease. These risk factors include high blood
pressure, high LDL cholesterol, high blood glucose (sugar), and
overweight/obesity. Campaign data are being used to reduce the proportion
of adults with high total blood cholesterol levels from 32% in 2000 to 29%
in 2007, and to increase by 10% the number of adults who know their blood
cholesterol level.
Also on This Web Site
For More Information
For additional information about cholesterol, please see the Web sites
of the following CDC partners:
References
- American Heart Association. Heart and Stroke Statistics—2004 Update.
Available on the American Heart Association Web site at
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1928*
- National Cholesterol Education Program. Executive Summary of the
Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert
Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol
in Adults (ATP III). Available on the National Heart, Lung and Blood
Web site at
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/
- Grundy SM, Cleeman JI, Bairey Merz CN; Brewer HB Jr; Clark LT,
Hunninghake DB, Pasternak RC, Smith SC Jr, Stone NJ. Implications of
Recent Clinical Trials for the National Cholesterol Education Program
Adult Treatment Panel III Guidelines. Circulation 2004;110:227–239.
Available at
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/vol110/issue2/index.shtml#NCEP_REPORT*
*Links to non–Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.
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