Evaluation of the Heart Truth professional education campaign on provider knowledge of women and heart disease.

Background: The Heart Truth Professional Education Campaign was developed to facilitate education of health care providers in evidence-based strategies to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women.

Methods: As part of the 3-year campaign, lectures based on the American Heart Association's evidence-based guidelines for CVD prevention in women were presented by local speakers to healthcare providers and students in three high-risk states: Delaware, Ohio, and New York. Participants' responses to pretest and posttest questions about CVD in women are presented.

"The Heart Truth:" Using the Power of Branding and Social Marketing to Increase Awareness of Heart Disease in Women.

In September 2002, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute launched The Heart Truth, the first federally-sponsored national campaign aimed at increasing awareness among women about their risk of heart disease. A traditional social marketing approach, including an extensive formative research phase, was used to plan, implement, and evaluate the campaign. With the creation of the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness, the campaign integrated a branding strategy into its social marketing framework.