HP problem

im having a problem killing my character…lol… So i have my variable hp…
and my if statement is if

if(_root.hp<= 0) {
_root.gotoAndPlay(7); // my "you died" screen
}

i just put that on the timeline(didnt work:sad:)…i tried implementing that into a movieclip(didnt work:sad:), made it into a function that i put into every bad guy to run it upon contact with the bad guy(didnt work:sad:)… :crying:is there a problem with my comparison?