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Vision
A world where any woman can access preventive health services and gain
the wisdom to improve her health.
Mission
To provide low-income, under- or uninsured 40- to 64-year-old women with the
knowledge, skills, and opportunities to improve diet, physical activity, and
other lifestyle behaviors to prevent, delay and control cardiovascular and
other chronic diseases.
Why is WISEWOMAN Important?
According to the American Heart Association*
- Nearly 39% of all female deaths in America occur from Cardiovascular
Disease (CVD), which includes coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and
other cardiovascular diseases.
- Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death for American
women.
- In 2003, coronary heart disease claimed the lives of 233,886 women
compared with 41,566 lives from breast cancer and 67,894 lives from lung
cancer.
- One in five women has some form of heart or blood vessel disease.
Indeed, heart disease is a major health problem for women. One way the
CDC addresses this problem is through WISEWOMAN programs.
How Does WISEWOMAN Work?
The WISEWOMAN program is administered through CDC's Division for Heart
Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP). The WISEWOMAN program provides
low–income, under insured or uninsured women aged 40–64 years with
chronic disease risk factor screening, lifestyle intervention, and
referral services in an effort to prevent cardiovascular disease. CDC
funds 15 WISEWOMAN programs, which operate on the local level in states
and tribal organizations. WISEWOMAN programs provide standard preventive services
including blood pressure and cholesterol testing. Some programs also
offer tests for diabetes and osteoporosis. Women are not just tested and
referred, but can also take advantage of lifestyle programs that target
poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and smoking, such as healthy
cooking classes, fitness competitions, or quit-smoking classes. The
interventions may vary from program to program, but all are designed to
promote lasting, healthy lifestyle changes. Footnote:
*Source: http://www.americanheart.org
(Heart and Stoke A to Z Guide)
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*Links to non-Federal organizations are provided
solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any
organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The
CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages
found at this link.
Page last reviewed: November 5, 2007
Page last modified: November 5, 2007
Content source: Division
for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion
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Spotlight on a WISEWOMAN |
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Lana Hanson:
It’s Never Too Late to Start Taking Charge of Your
Health
Before learning about the Ladies First program in
Vermont, Lana Hanson would skip breakfast and have
cookies and potato chips for lunch. Her only
complete meal of the day would be dinner, which
consisted of hot dogs or hamburgers with a potato
and a vegetable. “I really had bad eating habits”
Lana remembers.
A friend told Lana about the Ladies First program
that provides free mammograms and a complete
physical exam including testing for high
cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood pressure,
and weight. The idea of getting a free complete
physical exam that included a free mammogram excited
Lana, since she did not have health insurance. “I
never had a real good physical, and you are supposed
to have a mammogram done when you are 40 years old,
and I never had one.”
More
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