Healthy Living

Life is for living and enjoying!  Heart disease is largely preventable, and so, with the right information and action, you can live a long and healthy life.
 

Risk factors YOU CAN'T CHANGE ...

Age	85% of all coronary heart disease deaths occur in those aged 65 years and over 2
Gender	death rates are higher for men than women 2
Ethnicity	some ethnic groups are at greater risk than others

• Personal or family history of coronary heart disease

Risk factors YOU CAN ALTER ...

Nutrition	Approximately half of the adult population do not meet Ministry of Health Guidelines to eating at least two servings of vegetables each day.  Most of us could improve our eating habits.  Ways to improve our eating habits..
Physical Activity	More than one third of New Zealanders are inactive i.e. they take part in less than 2 ½ hours of physical activity per week.    A sixth of adults are  sedentary and perform no physical activity at all. 2  Ways to improve your physical activity levels.....
Weight	Over half of New Zealand adults are overweight (includes obese) and one in five are obese. 1  31% of children are either overweight or obese. 1 Ways to manage your weight...
Smoking	The risk of coronary heart disease is two to three times higher in smokers, than non-smokers.  In New Zealand, adult cigarette smokers smoke an average of 12 cigarettes per day.  One half of Māori adults smoke cigarettes and one fifth of non-Māori adults. 2 Ways to stop smoking...
Cholesterol	The higher the cholesterol the greater the cardiovascular risk. A 1.0mmol/l reduction in LDL-C leads to a 30 to 35% reduction in coronary heart disease and stroke. 2 Ways to control your blood cholesterol levels...
Blood pressure	One in five New Zealanders over the age of 15 years have a blood pressure over 160/95 or are on medication to lower blood pressure. A small drop (10mmHg for systolic blood pressure) in blood pressure is associated with a 30% reduction in risk of death from coronary heart disease. 2 Ways to reduce your blood pressure..
Diabetes	There is a strong association between blood glucose and cardiovascular risk.  In people with diabetes, each 1% decrease in HbA1c is associated with a 7% reduction in heart attack over 5 years. 2 Ways to manage your diabetes.....

1. Hay DR, Cardiovascular Disease in New Zealand 2004. Technical Report No.82, April 2004
2. New Zealand Guidelines Group, The Assessment and Management of Cardiovascular Risk. Evidence-based Best Practice Guideline, December 2003.