OMEN HAVE a lot on their plates to deal with in their daily lives. As a group, they tend to neglect their own health, especially when it comes to coronary heart disease and other diseases that adversely affect the heart and the body's blood vessel system. The fact is every woman in America (and indeed the world over) needs to be more proactive when it comes to coronary heart disease.
   Heart disease is the number-one killer of American women, with one in three women dying of heart disease. About 6·6

The primary message driving the Heart Truth campaign is: heart disease doesn’t care what you wear—it’s an equal opportunity killer

million have had some form of heart disease. It has been proven through studies and research that women don't take their risk of heart disease seriously—or personally. They often fail to make the connection between risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and their own chance of developing heart disease under the misguided pre-conception that heart disease can be "cured" with surgery.
   Coronary heart disease is the most common form of heart disease, and is known to start as early as the teenage years. Factors that increase the likeliness of heart disease in teenage girls include decreased physical activities or no physical activity at all, being grossly overweight, and an early start in using tobacco products. Other factors are high blood pressure, diabetes, and family history of early coronary disease. Once developed, heart disease can be managed but it cannot be cured.
   By the time a woman reaches middle age, unless she has changed her lifestyle and lowers her risk, it only gets worse. Each year, about 86,000 women in America aged 45–64 have a heart attack, and of all the people in this group, half of these women will die from further heart problems within eight years of the first attack. It has also been shown that about half of the women who have had a heart attack will be disabled with heart failure, a life-threatening condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to supply the body's needs, within six years.
   The goal of the Heart Truth campaign is to make women more aware of the danger of heart disease and to give them a personal and urgent wake-up call. Sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and partner organizations, the campaign is especially aimed at women aged 40–60. But its messages are also important for all women to realize that it’s never too late to take action to prevent and control the risk factors for heart disease. Even those who have heart disease can improve their heart health and quality of life. As one woman said, The Heart Truth ‘shows you—whether you want to see it or not—that it's about you. You may want to hide from it, but it’s showing you what the truth is.’
   The red dress is the heart of the Red Dress Project. The primary message driving the Heart Truth campaign is: heart disease doesn't care what you wear—it’s an equal opportunity killer. The campaign pairs that message with an arresting visual—the red dress—as the national symbol for women and heart disease.
   This year, at the Olympus Fashion Week fall 2004 New York collections, the Heart Truth returned to centre-stage with a new edition of the Red Dress Collection, featuring 24 top-flight designers and 24 top models and celebrities. Sponsored by the NHLBI and underwritten by Johnson & Johnson, this star-studded fashion show highlighted the best of the fashion industry, and brought out an audience filled with high-powered celebrities, the crème de la crème of magazine publishing, the arts and theatre world in New York City and all the important editors. Participating designers who donated one-off, exclusive creations include Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein, Badgley Mischka, Betsey Johnson, Carmen Marc Valvo, Carolina Herrera, Catherine Malandrino, Diane von Furstenberg, Estaban Cortezar, Cynthia Steffe, Donna Karan, Kenneth Cole, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Nicole Miller, Oscar de la Renta, Proenza Schouler, Luca Luca, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.

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MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: Patti Hansen and the models at the finalé of the Red Dress show. ABOVE, FROM TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT: Ana Beatriz Barros for Betsey Johnson. Tiiu Kuik for Oscar de la Renta. Caroline Winberg for Catherine Malandrino. Ujjwala Raut for Baby Phat. Beverly Johnson for Nicole Miller. Mariacarla Boscono for Carolina Herrera. Linda Vojtova for Cynthia Steffe. Theodora Richards for Alice Roi.