Every 30 minutes, one Australian loses their life to heart disease, yet it takes less than 30 minutes to know your risk.

For this year’s Heart Week (1–7 May 2023), the Heart Foundation is encouraging Aussies to act now and do three simple things to look after their heart – book a Heart Health Check with your GP, check your blood pressure and use the Heart Age Calculator to understand your risk of heart disease.

Talking point #1: Do you know your blood pressure?

High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease. The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked regularly, even if you’re feeling well and healthy.

Everyone aged 18 and over should have their blood pressure measured at least once every two years. Blood pressure can be measured at home using a validated machine, at a pharmacy via a SiSu Health Station , or by a doctor or nurse as part of a Medicare funded Heart Health Check.

Talking point #2: Calculate your Heart Age

It takes 3 minutes to find out with the Heart Age Calculator, designed to help you understand your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Intended for those aged between 35 and 75, the Calculator uses well-known risk factors for heart disease such as age, sex, blood pressure and cholesterol to estimate your risk compared to a defined healthy range.

If your heart age is higher than your actual age, you may be at a higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke and should speak to your GP about getting a Heart Health Check.

Talking point #3: help to Save the Medicare Heart Health Check

More than 25,000 Australians have now signed a petition calling for the Australian Government to extend funding for the Medicare Heart Health Check beyond June 30th.

Medicare Benefits Scheme data for February shows that nearly 440,000 Australians have taken the Check since they launched in 2019, well on track to reach around 500,000 Checks in the coming months and surpass the original 450,000 target. 

Talking point #4: We are what we eat - how a Healthy Eating Pattern will always trump a fad diet

Data shows that more than 90% of Australian kids and adults don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables.

The average Australian gets a third of their daily energy from discretionary foods – foods that are high in unhealthy fats, added sugars, and added salt.

So – how can people make small, effective and long-lasting changes to their eating patterns in a world where some of the most tempting foods are often the worst for our heart health?

The answer for most Australians may lie with the Heart Foundation’s Heart Healthy Eating Pattern.

Talking point #5: Movement as medicine - how and why walking is the best way to keep your heart healthy

Walking for an average of 30 minutes or more a day can lower the risk of heart disease, stroke by 35% percent and Type 2 diabetes by 40%.

It’s not just your heart and muscles that benefit from walking.

Regular physical activity can help:

• reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke 
• manage weight, blood pressure and blood cholesterol 
• prevent and control diabetes 
• reduce your risk of developing some cancers 
• maintain your bone density, reducing your risk of osteoporosis and fractures 
• improve balance and coordination, reducing your risk of falls and other injuries
• improve our daily mood which cumulatively leads to better mental health 

All adults aged 18-64 years should aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. That’s 30 minutes five days a week. It’s considered ‘moderate’ if it takes some effort, but you’re still able to talk comfortably.

Heart attack survivor, Emma Wilson said, "I wish I had access to a Heart Health Check prior to my heart attack in 2015."

“I was super fit and healthy and working in a gym when I had my heart attack (on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean) and there were no early warning signs until it was too late.

“I now recommend to all friends and family and clients to go and get a Heart Health Check – you can’t assume like me that just being fit and healthy means you aren’t at risk.”