AHA's new program helps educate Hispanic women about risk of heart disease

Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of Hispanic women. On average, Hispanic women are likely to develop heart disease 10 years earlier than non-Hispanic white women. Yet, most are still unaware of this threat. This Mother's Day, the American Heart Association's Go Red Por Tu Corazon encourages daughters to have a heart-to-heart conversation that could potentially save their mother's life.  

Sadly, mothers, sisters and friends are dying at the rate of one per minute because they don't know that heart disease kills. To help begin this conversation, Go Red Por Tu Corazon supporter Ximena Navarrete urges mothers and daughters to have this heart-to-heart in a thirty-second online Public Service Announcement featured on the Go Red Por Tu Corazon Facebook page.  

"As a woman and a Latina, the Go Red Por Tu Corazon cause is very close to my heart as it helps to educate Hispanic women worldwide about their personal risks for heart disease. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by this deadly disease, and I have made it my mission to educate my family, friends and the community to make healthier eating and lifestyle choices," said Ximena Navarrete, Miss Universe 2010.

To encourage a Heart-to-Heart this Mother's Day, Go Red Por Tu Corazon is offering tools and resources, along with steps to make a heart-healthy meal, so Latinas can honor their mother. While Hispanic women can't change certain risk factors, such as ethnicity and family history, they can help reduce their risks for heart disease by choosing to eat healthy.

"My parents felt that I wasn't proud of my culture because I wasn't eating exactly the way they were used to eating, when really all I wanted was for them to lead healthier lives by making small changes in the preparation of our traditional dishes,"  said Linda Pena, 23, Go Red Por Tu Corazon Spokesperson.

Latinas can engage in this very important conversation with those they love by using the new Heart Tools available on the Go Red Por Tu Corazon official Facebook page. After all, there is no better gift than a conversation that could help your mother live longer.