February Awareness Month is right around the corner. So, if you are a political activist, community organizer, fundraiser chair, teacher, or parent, you should consider getting involved with some of the most important events of the year. February is jam packed with awareness events which tackle problems having to do with health, responsibility, and safety. By choosing to get involved with one or more of these events, you are putting your energy into something that is going to make a difference for both other individuals and society as a whole. Let’s examine some of the most popular February awareness events which are about to commence, so you can have a better idea of which cause is right for you.

1. American Heart Month

Everyone is familiar with the American Heart Association. The reputable organization is responsible for sponsoring American Heart Month every year. The main idea behind this particular awareness event is to educate as many people as possible about the risks associated with cardiovascular diseases. This is done in the hopes that this new found awareness will translate into people taking better care of their hearts through the practice of a healthy diet and exercise.For those that don’t know, heart disease is the number one cause of death for Americans. Steps can be taken to prevent heart disease, or it will ultimately lead to heart attack, stroke, or cardiac arrest. So what can you do about it? It starts with treating your body with respect. That means maintaining a healthy diet and participating in regular physical activity. You must also be aware of the levels of stress in your life, and know how to manage them. If you are a smoker, you MUST quit in order to prevent the chances of developing heart disease. By participating in American Heart Month, you can teach others about the factors associated with heart disease. You will help more people than you know.

2. National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

If there is one thing that Americans have a problem with, it’s food. It’s difficult to focus on eating healthy when everywhere you turn, there is a fast food drive-thru window or an advertisement for a midnight snack. The overemphasis of food in this country has resulted in many Americans developing an eating disorder. An eating disorder may either manifest itself as overeating (resulting in obesity), or anorexia and bulimia (leading to becoming dangerously underweight). If only an event could be created to teach people how to practice healthy dieting, it could result in the saving of lives. This is exactly what National Eating Disorder Awareness Week is.

From February 20-26, you can get involved in National Eating Disorder Awareness Week by helping teach people about the ways in which eating disorders can be prevented. People of all ages can benefit from these helpful tips and moral support, though young students are a particularly important demographic to make an impact on because of the fact that they are still developing their self-image. By teaching people about proper dieting and instilling positive reinforcement in their minds, you can help people in your community can a better handle on controlling what they eat or don’t eat.

3. Electrical Safety Awareness Month

This particular February awareness event is less about health, and more about safety. Having electricity in your home and office is one of the greatest tools to make your life more efficient and convenient. However, the danger of electricity can sometimes be underestimated, thus resulting in injuries and deaths. During Electrical Safety Awareness Month, you can take part in teaching children and families in your community about how to properly use electricity.There are plenty of tips that you can use to make people more aware of electrical hazards in their household. For instance, you always want to make sure that your electrical outlets are covered with plastic plugs when not in use. This will prevent a small child from crawling near the outlet and getting shocked. You always want to keep appliances away from water, and never leave them unattended. These ideas are just a few of the many ways that you can help people stay safe during Electrical Safety Awareness Month.

One of the most serious forms of cancer in the United States is cervical cancer. The cancer is particularly difficult to diagnose because of the fact that the early stages are often entirely asymptomatic. So, thousands of women in the country may have cervical cancer but go undiagnosed until the disease has already established itself. For this reason, it is extremely important that as much awareness is raised as possible about cervical cancer so that more women are encouraged to go for regular exams. Taking preventive measures is one of the biggest themes during awareness month events, so if you can get people out of their house and into the doctor’s office, then you can save lives.

Facts about Cervical Cancer

• Cervical cancer affects an estimated 13,000 new women each year, with 4,100 women dying from the disease
• Cervical cancer is entirely preventable and curable if it has been diagnosed early (this is why having a regular test done is so important – see below)
• Studies show that cervical cancer can be attributed to one of several causes including: failure to get a regular Pap test screening, contract of the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, promiscuous sexual behavior, or contract of disease like HIV and AIDS which suppress the immune system

What Can You Do?

• Get a Pap Test – A Pap test is one of the most comprehensive ways to guard against getting cervical cancer. Women should get their first test at age 21, or within 3 years of the onset of sexual activity. The Pap test should then be repeated every 3 years until you are at least 70 years old.
• Get an HPV Test – The HPV test will detect the presence of the human papillomavirus in the body. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease which will lead to cervical cancer in women if not treated.
• Use Protection During Sexual Activity – Preventing sexual skin-on-skin contact will help to limit the chances that HPV is transmitted, thus inhibiting the development of cervical cancer

Keeping these facts and preventive measures in mind, you can now educate people in your community during Cervical Health Awareness Month. Understand that men should be educated about this disease as well as women, and no one is too young to learn. The development of proactive habits in getting regular testing combined with the use of protection during sexual activity should be enough to avoid falling victim to cervical cancer.

Blood is the key to life for humans. It transports oxygen and nutrients to the organs of the body, and without it people would surely die. When someone is in a situation where they have lost a large amount of blood, or their blood is unhealthy, they can only rely upon one type of person: a blood donor. Without blood donations, it would be extremely difficult to save lives in the case of accidents, blood cancers, and other instances which require a transfusion. That is why when you get involved with Blood Donor Awareness Month, you will know without a doubt in your mind that you are going to save a life.

The wonderful thing about Blood Donor Awareness Month in comparison to other awareness events is the fact that the results of your efforts can be seen in empirical terms. In other words, while most awareness events involve an abstract form of education and donation in which progress in the fight against the disease is uncertain, with blood donations you are contributing directly to the overall supply of blood available for those in need. That means once the blood leaves your body, it is a sure thing that someone will be using it at some point.Communicating this point to the people in your community may be the deciding factor in whether or not they choose to donate blood this month. After all, people have various reservations about why they choose not to donate when the time comes. It does not means they don’t want to help; rather, it just means that they might be afraid or unaware of how safe donating blood really is. If you want to participate in Blood Donor Awareness Month, then it is your job to disarm the apprehension of your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors so that the most people possible can contribute to the blood reserves.

Some information is supplied by the American Red Cross about upcoming blood drives located in your area, and the facts about blood donation. Usually a large truck will pull up to the site of the blood drive, where those who donate lie down in recliners and are treated by health care professionals. If you are interested in hosting a blood drive at your business, school, or somewhere else in the community, please check out the information from the link provided above so that you can make a difference this Blood Donor Awareness Month.

One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight. That is why it’s so appropriate that Healthy Weight Awareness Month takes place in the month of January. In the United States, people continue to struggle with weight problems that affect their health and ability to function. The problem is only getting worse: according to the Weight-control Information Network, over 2/3 of U.S. adults over the age of 20 are either overweight or obese. Additionally, from 1960 to 2005, the obesity rate has increased 21.7%. Clearly, this is a problem.

Enter Healthy Weight Awareness Month. This awareness event provides one of the best outlets possible for educating people about the dangers of obesity, and teaching them how to make the changes in their lives which will result in maintaining a healthy weight. It does not matter where you live in the country, or what your target demographic is – the problem of obesity is universal in America.So where to start? Well, you might want to focus on one of the most impressionable targets in the country – children. The great thing about teaching kids during Healthy Weight Awareness Month is that they are still young enough to change their habits in a positive way. Adults on the other hand are more cemented in their routines of unhealthy eating, so changing their habits requires more patience and effort. If you want to get involved this January, start by going into schools to have a special seminar or assembly.

There are tons of Healthy Weight Awareness Month giveaways that will educate kids about healthy eating in a fun way. These include coloring books which feature characters that deliver positive messages that are specific to this subject. If you can find a way to relate to children on some level, you can make a difference in the way that they eat.When approaching adults, you can discuss the topic of healthy weight in a more specific and factual fashion. Maintaining the right weight basically comes down to two important components: diet and exercise. The term diet does not necessarily mean eating special foods made by a weight loss company, or keeping track of “points”. Rather, it simply means to focus on fulfilling every category of the food pyramid, and not indulging in an excess of any category. One of the most important things is to avoid processed foods and saturated fats, as these will do the most damage to your weight.

As far as exercise, you do not have to create an overly intense workout to keep a good weight. People are often discouraged to lose weight because it involves a commitment to a gym six days a week. All that is necessary is doing some aerobic exercise on a daily basis in order to stimulate your heart and increase the flow of blood to your organs. Whether you choose to run on a treadmill or walk around the neighborhood with a friend, you are burning calories and increasing the speed of your metabolism every time you exercise.Though people often hear these basic facts on the news or from other sources, rarely does someone take the time to explain it to them first-hand. If you want to help people get a better control over the weight this year, then do everything you can to take part in Healthy Weight Awareness Month. You will be happy that you did.