How old is your heart? - New free online heart health check

Published: 13 November 2020

The Heart Foundation has launched a new free online heart health check, called My Heart Check.

The online tool is available to all New Zelanders and shows people how their heart age compares to their actual age. It also estimates a person’s risk of having a heart attack or stroke and shares tips on how to reduce the risk.

"The tool is the first publicly available risk calculator that is tailored to the New Zealand population, including specific risk for Māori, Pasifika and south Asian people who are at increased risk than Pakeha. It provides you with tailored information about the positive things you can do to manage and reduce your risk. We are really excited to be able to offer this tool to help improve the heart health of people in Aotearoa," says Heart Foundation Head of Care and Support, Angela Aldous.

The tool is based on a study of more than 400,000 l New Zealanders and provides an accurate risk assessment for Māori, Pasifika and high-risk populations.

New Zealand has some of the most up to date standards on CVD risk assessment and management, and the new tool is designed to complement these and give the best possible and evidence based advice.

The risk assessment tool has been powered through technology from Wellsouth.

My Heart Check works best for people aged 30-75. People can still use it at any age, but the result may be less accurate. Heart risk screening from a healthcare professional is recommended at the following ages:

Māori, Pacific, South-Asian

• Men from 30 years
• Women from 40 years

Individuals with other known risk factors or at high risk of developing diabetes

• Men from 35 years
• Women from 45 years

Individuals without known risk factors

• Men from 45 years
• Women from 55 years

Individuals with diabetes

• Yearly from time of diagnosis

Individuals with severe mental illness

• All from 25 years

Try My Heart Check