One in six people worldwide will have a stroke in their lifetime. Just think of your five friends around you, one of the 6 of you will likely suffer from a stroke in your lifetime. Every 6 seconds, someone somewhere will die from a stroke.¹  Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States, with an estimated annual cost of more than $73 billion.²

Today is World Stroke Day with the theme “1 in 6” – appropriately named due to the unfortunate, but true statistics listed above – which are even worse for females, with worse outcomes on average compared to men.³

But there is good news too – Stroke can be prevented and those that do sustain a stroke can recover and regain their quality of life. The campaign⁴ focuses on the following 6 ways to reduce the likelihood of having a stroke:

1. Know your personal risk factors, including, but not limited to, diagnosed high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol. Find out about your risk factors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2. Be physically active and exercise regularly – Standupandeat.org has a 12 week e-mail program to guide you step by step how to get active that starts each quarter

3. Avoid obesity by eating a healthy diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.

4. Limit alcohol consumption.

5. Avoid cigarette smoke. People who smoke should seek help to stop now.

6. Learn to recognize the warning signs of a stroke and call 9-1-1 right away if someone is suspected of having a stroke. Remember FAST to recognize simple warning signs:

• F – Face – check to see if face is drooped, has numbness, weakness or trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• A – Arms – can they lift both arms, do they have dizziness, loss of coordination, balance or trouble walking
• S – Speech – is their speech slurred, are they confused or having trouble understanding
• T – Time – time is crucial, call for help immediately

Now is your chance to act and change the statistics. What are you doing specifically to avoid being the “1 in 6” and change the statistics?
Share your thoughts on our facebook site about…

- Ways you are being physically active and exercising regularly
- Ways you are sharing with others to increase awareness
- Healthy ideas and innovative ways to stay on track with your healthy diet
- Others

¹Seshadri S. et al. (2006). The lifetime risk of stroke: estimates from the Framingham Study. Stroke 37, 45-350.
²Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Announcements: World Stroke Day. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 59(41), 1344.
³Bushnell, C.D. (2008). Stroke and the female brain. Nature Clinical Practice Neurology 4(1), 22-33.
⁴World Stroke Campaign. (2010). World Stroke Day: 2010. Accessed online 10/25/10 from