Newborns wear red hats to raise awareness for heart health

JACKSON, Tenn. — As part of National Heart Month, every baby born at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital will don a special red hat, hoping to raise awareness for heart health.

Most think of heart disease as affecting older men and women more than others. However, heart disease can affect all age groups, and the best way of preventing it is addressing it from an early age.

Deena Kail is the director of the West Tennessee Women’s Center and spoke about where the “Red Hats for Healthy Hearts” idea originates from.

“We started the red caps for babies because many times when you think about heart disease, you think about older women and older family members,” Kail said. “But heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, so it’s very important that we not only take care of the men in our lives, but that we take care of ourselves.”

Kail says prevention and improvement start with knowledge.

“Eat healthier, get exercise, get your health checkups, know your numbers and take care of yourself so you can take care of others,” Kail said.

She added that there are some simple yet powerful ways to keep your heart healthy.

“Know what your blood pressure is, know what your normal is, know what your cholesterol is and know what you can do to decrease that cholesterol so you can be healthier and prevent heart disease,” Kail said.