February — Prevention Month — shines a light on realities that remain too little known
By Renée Gratton, Executive Director of TVC22
On February 13, red will be more than just a colour. It will become a collective signal, a visible reminder that women’s heart health remains a major issue — often underestimated, sometimes misunderstood, and yet very much present in eastern Ontario. Wearing red is a way to start the conversation about a reality that affects thousands of women right here, and to acknowledge that prevention, when accessible and tailored, can truly save lives.
Worldwide, cardiovascular diseases affect about one in three women. Despite this striking fact, women’s heart health still faces major gaps in research, screening, treatment and awareness. This situation is all the more worrying because a large share of these diseases is preventable through preventive measures and access to clear, relevant information. It is in this context that, across Canada, activities are being organized to remind the public — and especially women — of the importance of better understanding their heart health and adopting behaviours that help preserve it.
On Everyone in Red Day, Canadians are invited to wear red to draw attention to a little-known reality: heart disease is the leading cause of death among women worldwide and the leading cause of premature death among Canadian women, according to Cœur + AVC. Yet many of these deaths could be prevented.
This day is especially meaningful because it falls in February, which is recognized as Preventive Health Month. It’s a key moment to remind people that prevention — when it’s accessible, understood, and culturally appropriate — is one of the most effective tools in public health. Yet, for too long, women’s heart health has been invisible. For decades, clinical research, screening tools, and prevention messages were designed around symptoms considered “typical” in men, while women can experience very different signs during a cardiac event.
According to Cœur + AVC, women are more likely to experience so-called atypical symptoms: extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, jaw, back or neck pain, sleep disturbances or sudden anxiety. These signs, often downplayed or attributed to stress, menopause or the mental load, help explain why women sometimes seek care later, are less well diagnosed and receive treatment later. In addition, a new challenge has emerged in recent years with the strain on our health systems: the great difficulty in accessing a primary care provider when atypical symptoms appear, which significantly delays consultation and intervention.
The organization Coeur + AVC also notes that about 80% of premature cardiovascular disease and strokes could be prevented through preventive measures and lifestyle changes — a finding that shows the issue is as much social as it is medical.
In Eastern Ontario, several factors combine to increase cardiovascular vulnerability among women. According to Statistics Canada, the region has an older population than the provincial average, notably in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell and in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. Age remains an important risk factor for heart disease.
Rurality also plays an important role. The distances people must travel to access specialized care, limited transportation options, and the scarcity of some local services make prevention and regular medical follow-up more difficult. Added to this is a key factor: the strong presence of francophone minority communities.
The French language or Francophone culture are not risk factors in themselves. However, living as a linguistic minority comes with social determinants of health that can indirectly increase cardiovascular risks. In Eastern Ontario, Statistics Canada shows that Francophones who do not have access to health services in their mother tongue tend to seek care less often, ask fewer questions, and understand medical instructions less clearly. In women’s cardiovascular health — where symptoms are often more diffuse — this language barrier can contribute to late consultations and delayed diagnoses.
Prevention challenges further complicate this picture. Analyses by Statistics Canada and Health Canada indicate that major national prevention campaigns are still largely delivered in English and increasingly rely on digital platforms. In the rural Francophone communities of eastern Ontario, this results in reduced exposure to prevention messages, particularly among older women or those less connected to digital tools, who rely more on local networks and nearby services for information.
Socio-economic realities are another determining factor. In several sectors of Eastern Ontario, median incomes are below the Ontario average. Chronic financial stress, recognized by public health authorities as a cardiovascular risk factor, is associated with higher rates of hypertension, sleep problems and increased inflammation. Added to this are limited access to fresh, affordable food and a heavy reliance on cars, combined with a lack of infrastructure that supports physical activity. Together, these factors make it more difficult to adopt heart-healthy lifestyles, an issue that disproportionately affects women.
In rural francophone communities, women often take on multiple responsibilities: workers, caregivers, and pillars of their families and communities. They frequently help sustain French-language services and social networks, an additional burden documented by Statistique Canada. According to Cœur + AVC, the resulting chronic stress is a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women.
Among modifiable risk factors, smoking remains central in Eastern Ontario. Public health data show that some rural areas have smoking rates higher than the provincial average. In women, smoking doubles the risk of heart attack and stroke, interacts negatively with certain hormonal contraceptives, and increases cardiovascular risks at menopause. The benefits of quitting, however, are rapid: after one year without smoking, the risk of heart disease decreases significantly and continues to decline over time.
Preventive Health Month reminds us that prevention is a lasting investment. Moving more, monitoring your blood pressure, reducing stress, quitting smoking and recognizing warning signs are simple actions, but they require clear information and accessible support. In Eastern Ontario, regional resources — including specialized centres, community health centres and regional hospitals — play a key role in supporting women at every stage of their health journey.
In many municipalities and workplaces in Eastern Ontario, Wear Red Day is marked by small but meaningful gestures: group photos, awareness messages, active breaks, or informal conversations about prevention, stress, and quitting smoking. In schools and community settings, wearing red sometimes becomes an opportunity to start a conversation about heart health with teenage girls and older women. These initiatives help normalize a conversation that has long been absent.
After the Tout le monde en rouge day on February 13, as after Preventive Health Month, the message must remain clear: caring for women’s hearts is caring for the whole community. Women are pillars in families, the economy, and society. When they have access to clear information, appropriate services, and real support, the benefits ripple far beyond the individual.
The challenge now is to ensure that this conversation continues well beyond February 13 and leads to better access to information, prevention and care for women in Eastern Ontario.
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The information presented in this article is based on publicly available data and recognized institutional sources, including the 2021 Census and Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey, as well as publications and resources from Heart & Stroke, Health Canada and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Regional findings have been contextualized using public health data and realities observed in Eastern Ontario, particularly in rural areas and within Francophone minority communities, as well as input from a regional health professional.