Running head: WOMENHEART’S HEART HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN 1

WomenHeart’s Heart Health Communications Campaign

Janessa Rhoades

Purdue University
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WomenHeart’s Heart Health Communications Campaign

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “heart disease is the leading

cause of death for women in the United States” and is responsible for approximately 1 in every 4

deaths of women (CDC, 2019). Heart disease poses such a great danger for two main reasons.

First, symptoms are silent and often go undiagnosed until a larger cardiac event such as a heart

attack or heart failure occur (CDC, 2019). Second, although there are “48 million American

women living with or at risk for heart disease” only “about half of American women know heart

disease is their #1 health risk” (WomenHeart, 2019). Thus, awareness is crucial.

WomenHeart, more formally known as the National Coalition for Women with Heart

Disease, was founded in 1999 when three heart attack survivors came together to build a

national, patient-centered support network. WomenHeart is launching a strategic campaign to

bring greater awareness to the health risks and prevention methods associated with heart disease

and to fulfill its mission “to improve the health and quality of life of women living with or at risk

of heart disease and to advocate for their benefit” (WomenHeart, 2019).

WomenHeart has decided to launch this campaign because with knowledge and

awareness, simple changes can be made that make a great impact to the number of women

affected by heart disease. Research published by in Heart Disease in Women states that coronary

heart disease often goes misdiagnosed in women because of a lower index of suspicion and when

it is diagnosed, the treatment tends to be less aggressive than in men (Lardner and Pennelton,

2009, p.24). In addition, according to the Mayo Clinic, regular exercise, maintaining a healthy

weight, and eating a varied diet of fruits, vegetables and lean meats are the simplest ways to

reduce one’s risk for heart disease (Mayo Clinic, 2019). It is with access to information and self-

diagnostic tools that women can gain the confidence to take more control of their health and

advocate for proper treatment if the time comes. Thus, the goals of this campaign are to promote
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prevention, educate all women on how to recognize signs of heart disease, and to communicate

to at-risk and affected women the availability of a support network.

The three primary audiences identified for this campaign are women at risk of a cardiac

event, women who have previously suffered a cardiac event, and family members and friends of

women who have suffered a cardiac event. Women as young as 20 years-old are susceptible to

heart health issues (CDC, 2019) and the messaging to this audience will focus on awareness of

the disease, the importance of screening and ways to live a healthy lifestyle. The communication

targeted to women who have suffered a cardiac event such as heart attack, arrhythmia or heart

failure, will focus on where they can find resources on recovery, lifestyle changes and

opportunities to join the support system of other women. The messaging focused on the family

and friends of affected women will include resources on awareness of heart disease, ways they

can help their loved ones, and diagnostic tools for them to share.

The scope of this campaign reaches from awareness and prevention of heart disease to the

existing support network and involvement opportunities for those affected, thus the promotional

mix used in this campaign will be targeted to meet each audience’s needs. WomenHeart will

continue to provide information on prevention and diagnostic tools through its website and social

media platforms to meet its younger audience. The signature women-centered support programs

like SisterMatch and HeartSisters will be advertised through social media as well as heart-health

focused print publications to reach the larger demographic of affected women. To further ensure

this communications plan meets the goal, a strategy to partner with local and regional heart-

health focused organizations will be implemented to spread WomenHeart’s reach and

opportunities to present research and offerings to the target audiences will be identified and

executed.
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References

CDC. (2019, May 14). Women and Heart Disease. Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/women.htm

Lardner, B., & Pennelton, H. (2009). Heart disease in women. New York: Nova Science.

Mayo Clinic. (2019, January 9). How heart disease is different for women. Retrieved from

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-disease/art-

20046167

WomenHeart. (2019). Home. Retrieved from https://www.womenheart.org/