February is National Heart Month. Heart disease is the number one cause of death among men and women in the United States . Are you heart smart? Take this quiz and find out!

1. Only children from families at high risk of heart disease need to have their blood cholesterol levels checked.
T or F

2. Smoking is a major risk factor for four of the leading causes of death, including heart attack, stroke, cancer and lung diseases such as emphysema and bronchitis.
T or F

3. If you have had a heart attack, quitting smoking can help reduce your chances of having a second attack.
T or F

4. Someone who has smoked for 30 to 40 years probably will not be able to quit smoking.
T or F

5. The best way to lose weight is to increase physical activity and decrease calorie intake.
T or F

6. Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in the United States.
T or F

7. The risk factors for heart disease that you can do something about are: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.
T or F

8. A stroke is often the first symptom of high blood pressure, and a heart attack is often the first symptom of high blood cholesterol.
T or F

9. A blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mm HG (millimeters of mercury) is generally considered to be high.
T or F

10. High blood pressure affects the same percentage of blacks as it does whites.
T or F

11. The best ways to treat and control high blood pressure are to control your weight, exercise, eat less salt (sodium), restrict your intake of alcohol, and take your high blood-pressure medication, if prescribed by your doctor.
T or F

12. A blood cholesterol of 240 mg/dl is desirable for adults.
T or F

13. The most effective dietary way to lower the level of your blood cholesterol is to eat foods low in cholesterol.
T or F

14. Lowering blood cholesterol levels can help people who have already had a heart attack.
T or F

Scroll down for the answers.

Answers

1) True. Children from “high-risk” families, in which a parent has high blood cholesterol (240 mg/dL or above) or in which a parent or grandparent has had heart disease at an early age (55 or younger), should have their cholesterol levels tested. For most children, the best way to reduce their risk of adult heart disease is to follow a low-saturated, low-cholesterol diet.

2) True. Heavy smokers are two to four times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers, and the heart attack death rate among all smokers is 70% greater than that of nonsmokers. Older male smokers are also nearly twice as likely to die from a stroke than older men who do not smoke, and these odds are nearly as high as for older female smokers.

3) True. One year after quitting, ex-smokers cut their extra risk for heart attack by about half or more, and eventually the risk will return to normal in healthy ex-smokers. Even if you have already had a heart attack, you can reduce your chances of a second attack if you quit smoking.

4) False. Older smokers are more likely to succeed at quitting than younger smokers.

5) True. Weight control is a question of balance. You get calories from the foods you eat. You burn off calories by exercising. Cutting down on calories, especially calories from fat, is key to losing weight.

6) True. In 1996, about 733,000 Americans died of coronary heart disease and about half of the deaths were women.

7) True. High blood Pressure (Hypertension or HTN), smoking and high blood cholesterol are the three most important risk factors for heart disease. On the average, each one doubles your chance of developing heart disease. Regular exercise and good nutrition are essential to reducing these risks.

8) True. A person with HTN or high blood cholesterol may feel fine and look great; there are often no signs that anything is wrong until a stroke or heart attack occurs.

9) True. The higher your blood pressure, the greater your risk of developing heart disease or stroke. However, blood pressures that fall below 140/90 mm/Hg can sometimes be a problem. If the diastolic pressure, the lower number, is between 85-89, a person is at an increased risk for heart disease or stroke.

10) False. High blood pressure is more common in blacks than whites. With aging, HTN is generally more severe among blacks causing more strokes, heart disease and kidney failure.

11) True. Recent studies show that lifestyle changes can help keep blood pressure levels normal even into advanced age and are important in treating and preventing HTN

12) False. A total blood cholesterol of under 200 mg/Dl is desirable and usually puts you at a lower risk of heart disease.

13) False. Eating foods low in saturated fat is the most effective dietary way to lower cholesterol levels, along with eating less total fat and cholesterol.

14) True. People who have had one heart attack are at much higher risk for a second attack.

SOURCE: National institutes of Health and National Vital Statistics Report (November 1998)