We painted our university red last Friday (Feb. 6), from south to north to west on the Davis campus, and all the way east on the Sacramento campus.

TEST YOUR HEART SMARTS

At the Battle Heart Disease Fair, cardiologist Amparo Villablanca asked: True or false?

• Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death for all women.
• Cardiovascular disease kills more women than all forms of cancer combined.
• Women are more likely than men to die after a heart attack.
• Heart disease deaths are increasing among younger women.
• As much as 90 percent of heart disease is preventable with a heart-healthy lifestyle.
• Women's heart attack symptoms can be more subtle than men's.
• Most women do not call 911 when experiencing heart attack symptoms.
• Most women do not "know their numbers" for heart disease risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.
• Each year in the U.S., 55,000 more women than men have a stroke.
• Women who smoke are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack as nonsmoking women.

Answers: All true.

More information about women and heart disease is available online: womenshearthealth.ucdavis.edu.

It was the second annual UC Davis Wears Red Day, to raise awareness that heart disease is the leading killer of women and men. Staff, faculty and students showed their colors at the Comparative Pathology Laboratory south of Interstate 80, in Mrak Hall, Student Housing and Intercollegiate Athletics, and across the causeway in cardiology, radiation oncology and the Institute for Regenerative Cures, among many other places. See photos and tweets from all over in our #UCDavisRED Tagboard.

And about 250 people braved the day’s pouring rain and cold to come to Hutchison Field to make a giant heart — smaller than last year’s but heartfelt nonetheless. “This shows UC Davis’ commitment to fighting heart disease,” said Amparo Villablanca, cardiologist, professor and director of the Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine Program.

A few minutes earlier, at the Battle Heart Disease Fair — thankfully, held in a tent — Villablanca looked with enthusiasm as students and others participated in a Zumba dance exercise. “They are modeling heart healthy behavior, by being physically active,” she said. “They are champions, everyone here is a champion for heart health.”

The university community further aided the cause by wearing UC Davis Wears Red Day shirts, because a portion of shirt sale revenue goes to the Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine Program for its education, research and community initiatives.

A sorority’s mission

The Alpha Pi Sigma sorority has been organizing the Battle Heart Disease Fair for four years now, and last year started scheduling the fair as part of UC Davis Wears Red Day.

“It’s important to keep this going,” said Alejandra Gordillo, chair of the Battle Heart Disease Fair. She’s a second-year student, a nutrition science major who plans to go to medical school and has her specialty picked out: oncology.

Alpha Pi Sigma focuses much of its attention on helping the American Heart Association, so the Battle Heart Disease Fair fits right in. “We do this for the benefit of the UC Davis community,” Gordillo said.

Margarita Bursack, Yolanda Lujan and Josephine Zaragoza, housekeepers in Student Housing, attended the fair last year and returned this year. They visited the Clínica Tepati table to have their blood pressures checked — and all three women liked their numbers.

Importantly, Bursack, Lujan and Zaragoza monitor their blood pressures regularly. “It only takes that one time, if it gets too high, you can do something about it,” Bursack said.

And that’s the whole point, said Barbara Magaña, a fourth-year student majoring in neurobiology, physiology and behavior, who is among the undergraduates and medical students who run the weekly Clínica Tepati in Sacramento. Magaña helps with intake, checking and recording patient blood pressure, temperature and weight.

“Most of the people I talk to don’t know their blood pressure,” she said. “All it takes is monitoring, and if something is off, we can start remedying it.”

Villablanca emphasized “knowing your numbers,” not just blood pressure, but blood sugar, cholesterol, body mass index and other factors associated with heart disease risk.

Physical activity and diet

The fraternity Lambda Theta Phi handed out granola bars in return for some pushups, squats or jumping jacks, or for jumping rope.

“We want you to get your heart pumping, to make your heart stronger through exercise,” said Eduardo Medina, a fourth-year student who is majoring in Chicana/o studies.

The UC Davis Health System’s Integrative Medicine Program, part of the Institute for Population Health Improvement, handed out good nutrition: refrigerator magnets and wallet cards printed with  information on how to read food labels and plan healthy meals, along with recipes and organic apples.

“Our focus now is on foods for health,” said Paul Terry, program manager.

Indeed, Villablanca stressed the importance of a heart-healthy diet: high fiber, low fat, low cholesterol, fruits and vegetables in a wide variety (preparing “a colorful plate”), complex grains and appropriate portions.

Reaching women across generations

With death from heart disease increasing among younger women, Villablanca said she is happy to see UC Davis students embrace the wearing of the red.

VIDEO

Amparo Villablanca talks about heart health, and Adele Zhang, design lecturer, discusses the Red Dress Collection. Watch it here.

“That’s the unique opportunity we have here at UC Davis and its health system, to help women across generations understand that they are at risk, and that prevention is key,” she said.

This outreach also includes the UC Davis Red Dress Collection, in which design students craft their versions of the national symbol meant to inspire women to take action to protect their hearts.

The Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine Program and the Department of Design launched the project in 2000, and new dresses are added every February, creating a spirited and youthful collection of gowns — each showing the designer’s unique perspective on heart health.

For the second year in a row, the new dresses will be featured at a fundraising event called The Power of Red: Cocktails & Couture — A Benefit for UC Davis Women’s Heart Health, hosted by Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi.

This year’s Cocktails & Couture is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, in the Grand Nave Ballroom of the Sheraton Grand hotel, 1230 J St., Sacramento. Tickets are $250 per person, with proceeds going to the Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine Program and the Department of Design.

Dress and table sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, contact Jean Wigglesworth at Ceremonies and Special Events, by phone (530) 754-2011, or email.

See the dresses, read a patient's story

You’re invited to see some of the UC Davis Red Dress Collection in a winter quarter exhibition: “Red Dress, Design Stories for Heart Health,” at the Design Museum (in Cruess Hall on the Davis campus). The museum is open from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, and runs through March 13. You can see the entire collection online, along with statements from the artists about what inspired their designs.

Read “A wake-up call: Red dress tells a patient’s story of heart disease recovery,” about a woman whose courage and elegance inspired the dress that two design students made for her.

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