American Heart Month | International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month | National Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month

American Heart Month

The term heart disease refers to several types of heart conditions, including coronary artery disease and heart attack. Although heart disease is sometimes thought of as a man’s disease, almost as many women as men die each year of heart disease in the United States. Despite increases in awareness over the past decades, only about half (56%) of women recognize that heart disease is their number 1 killer. About 1 in 16 women age 20 and older (6.2%) have coronary heart disease, the most common type of heart disease. High blood pressure, high LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. About half of all people in the United States (47%) have at least one of these three risk factors. Learn more about American Heart Month by visiting https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/women.htm or https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/education/american-heart-month. Access the CDC Toolkit, here

International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month

Some infections before and during pregnancy can hurt both you and your developing fetus. They can cause serious illness, birth defects, and lifelong disabilities, such as hearing loss or learning problems. The CDC offers 10 tips for preventing infections before and during pregnancy, https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/infections

National Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month

Every February, young people and their loved ones join together across the country for a national effort to raise awareness about the issue of teen dating violence through Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM). This annual, month-long push focuses on advocacy and education to stop dating abuse before it starts. Collectively, the resource centers will be promoting the theme of “Know Your Worth” to highlight healthy relationships among young people. Grantees have developed social media campaigns and events, online toolkits and materials, webinars, and more that may be of interest. Points of contact are included for more information. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/fysb/outreach-material/teen-dating-violence-awareness-month