Go Red For Women Ranks America’s Most Heart Friendly Cities for Women

Minneapolis-St. Paul is Ranked as No. 1

The study examined the heart health of the 200 most populous U.S. metro areas, which were divided into three categories according to population:

• Mega metros: 1.45 million population and larger.
• Mid-sized metros: within the 560,000 to 1.45
• All other metros: population of 560,000 and fewer.

Regardless of metro size, all rankings were based on 22 factors rating the heart friendly benefits each city had to offer and the personal lifestyle choices of its residents. The factors examined these three main areas:

• Risk indicators-factors that may lead to heart disease (predictive)
• Health status-metrics that indicate the current state of heart health (present day)
• Heart disease statistics-measurement of heart disease on the population (mortality)

In the study, the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area had:

• the lowest mortality rate from heart disease among the mega metros, and
• the highest rate of women getting regular exercise

The Twin Cities also scored well in the diagnosis of high blood pressure, and posted some of the best scores in the categories of percentage of women covered by a health plan, being able of afford health care, and a low number of fast food outlets per capita. The Twin Cities scored below average in only a few catagories, among them the number of all physicians and cardiologists per capita.

Geographically, certain trends were evident. California scored well, with top 10 placements in all categories. The Northeast had a number of high-ranking metros, with Boston, Rochester (NY) and several places in Connecticut and Maine. Colorado made one of the strongest showings, with Boulder earning the highest overall Heart Friendly score in its metro category, and other Colorado cities placing in the top 10 for each metro category. The Twin Cities stands out as a leader in the Midwest since six of the top 10 worst heart-friendly cities were from the Midwest region.

"We're delighted to see how many people have joined HealthEast's commitment to improving women's heart health," said Dr. Priscilla Hedberg, medical director, Women's HeartAdvantage, HealthEast Care Systems, and Go Red For Women spokeswoman. "While Go Red For Women has been tremendously successful in raising women's awareness about what to do, we still have a way to go until more women turn this knowledge into action and start making the healthiest possible lifestyle choices. Together, I know we can do it!"

1 Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Area MN-WI
2 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV
3 San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland CA
4 Denver-Aurora CO
5 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA-NH
6 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA
7 Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton OR-WA
8 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos CA
9 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA
10 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale AZ

1 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro TN
2 St. Louis MO-IL
3 Detroit-Warren-Livonia MI
4 Pittsburgh PA
5 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX
6 Columbus OH
7 Cincinnati-Middletown OH-KY-IN
8 Las Vegas-Paradise NV
9 Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor OH
10 Indianapolis IN

FREE Heart-Health Tips Online-No Matter Where You Live Despite Minneapolis-St. Paul's successful heart-health rating, heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of women in all 50 states. Living in a heart friendly city does not automatically make each person heart healthy, and the reverse is also true.

A FREE "Go Red Heart Style Guide" will be mailed to all women who register with Go Red For Women online at www.GoRedForWomen.org. The guide is filled with actionable plans, tips, recipes, a free magazine subscription and more to help you live a heart healthy lifestyle.

• Eat healthy! Learn the basics about a heart healthy diet with Go Red tools and tips for balanced nutrition, delicious recipes and more.
• Get Physically Active! Regular, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity improves cardiovascular fitness and helps reduce risk of heart disease and stroke. You can incorporate physical activity into your daily routines with Choose To Move, a 12-week physical activity and nutrition program that can be customized to fit every lifestyle. Register at www.GoRedForWomen.org.
  • Know your numbers! Tracking blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and weight numbers can help you to keep them in a healthy range. To learn more about your 10-year personal risk for heart disease, take the Go Red For Women Heart CheckUp at www.GoRedForWomen.org.
  • Build Community! Join the Go Red For Women online community to share heart health stories and connect with women who share a passion for women's heart health nationwide.
  • Make A Difference! Support the HEART For Women Act and other policies to help make our nation's cities heart healthier for all. Visit www.GoRedForWomen.org to access tools to help you communicate directly with members of Congress.
  Alarming heart health statistics include:
  
  • One in three women has one or more forms of cardiovascular disease.
  • Cardiovascular disease kills approximately 460,000 women per year, approximately one woman per minute.
  • More women die of cardiovascular disease than the next five causes of death combined, including cancer.

  For more information about Go Red For Women, the Go Red Style Guide or to see where your city ranked, please visit www.GoRedForWomen.org.

  About Go Red For Women Since 2004, Go Red For Women has captured the energy, passion and intelligence of women to work collectively to wipe out heart disease-the No. 1 killer of women. We want millions of women across America to take heart disease personally. Go Red For Women engages women and the men who love them to embrace the cause. Healthcare providers, celebrities and politicians also elevate the cause and spread the word about women and heart disease. For more information about Go Red For Women, please call 1-888-MY-HEART (1-888-694-3278) or visit GoRedForWomen.org. The movement is nationally sponsored by Macy's and Merck & Co., Inc.
  About the American Heart Association Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association today is the nation?s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke. These diseases, America's No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases claim nearly 870,000 lives a year. In fiscal year 2006-07 the association invested more than $554 million in research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs to help all Americans live longer, healthier lives. To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit americanheart.org.
  About Sperling's BestPlaces For nearly 20 years, Bert Sperling has been helping people find their own "Best Place." As the foremost creator of these studies, his work appears in national media nearly every month, and he recently appeared on the Today Show to introduce his new book, Cities Ranked and Rated. His firm, Sperling's BestPlaces, puts facts about cities and living in the hands of the public, so they can make better decisions about best places to live, work, retire, play, or relocate. More information is available at www.bestplaces.net.
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