Australians getting older, but not wiser, about cardiovascular disease

Australians are getting older, heavier and less active, putting themselves at greater risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the Heart Foundation which has marked its 50th anniversary as Australia’s leading voice on heart health.
 
To coincide with its birthday, the Heart Foundation is encouraging those turning 50 in 2009, to use this milestone as a trigger to find out about their heart health and take action to ward off Australia’s number one killer – cardiovascular disease.
 
According to Tony Thirlwell, Heart Foundation chief executive officer NSW, in 2004–05 more than half of all Australian adults were either overweight or obese. Studies show the incidence of obesity was most common in Australians aged 50 to 59 years, at around 24% for men and 30% for women.
 
“To make matters worse, more than half of all Australians are not doing enough physical activity,” Mr Thirlwell said. “Generally, baby boomers are eating more and being less active, leading to weight gain as we get older. Those extra kilos and lack of daily exercise are two major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, so there’s an opportunity to make a few small lifestyle changes now, which could make a big difference in the future,” he added.
 
Death rates from cardiovascular disease (heart, stroke and blood vessel disease), have been in decline since peaking at 56% of deaths in 1968. However, the Heart Foundation fears that death rates could rise again in the years ahead, with risk factors such as obesity on the rise and some other risk factors not improving.
 
 “Australia was the first country to see a decline in deaths from cardiovascular disease. We don’t want to be the first country to see this trend reverse. Cardiovascular disease is a serious problem that hasn’t gone away,” Mr Thirlwell said