Congratulating Hard Work and Healthy Hearts
Today’s National Health Target results announcement for quarter four, paint a positive picture across the board for the
primary care and health sectors.
The Heart Foundation’s Medical Director Gerry Devlin is particularly pleased with the results of the ‘Better Help for Smokers to Quit’ programme and the ‘More Heart and Diabetes Checks’ programme.
“This quarter sees a continuing improvement across all health targets and we’re particularly impressed with the huge
13.5 percentage point increase in smokers getting help to quit and the 6 percentage point increase in heart and diabetes
checks.
“We want to congratulate GP’s, nurses and other health care professionals on the fantastic work they’ve done to achieve
these gains for their patients. They’ve checked over a million Kiwi hearts and offered help to over 400,000 smokers to
quit.
“The more people are aware of their risk, and do something about it, the better. We encourage anyone who hasn’t had
their heart and diabetes check to do so.”
While the results across the board are promising, the Heart Foundation acknowledges the job’s not finished yet. “To make
the most of these assessments we’d like to see a future health target on ensuring effective management of people’s
risk”.
Heart Health information
Heart disease is New Zealand’s single biggest killer. It sees over 90,000 years of life lost each year to disability or premature death. Here are the Heart
Foundation’s recommendations to reduce your chance of heart disease
1. Stop smoking. This is the most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease.
2. Have a heart and diabetes check. A regular heart health check, is a great way to pick up problems before they
become serious. Your GP or practice nurse will be happy to help.
3. Know your numbers. Ask your GP to test your cholesterol and blood pressure. If you know your current blood
pressure and cholesterol levels, you can estimate your risk of heart disease using Know Your Numbers.
4. Eat more heart healthy foods. Check out Nadia Lim and others delicious recipes at the Heart Foundation website.
5. Be active every day. Thirty minutes moderate physical activity is the goal to aim for.
ENDS
About the Heart Foundation:
The Heart Foundation is the charity that works to stop New Zealanders dying prematurely from heart disease. It is
committed to promoting heart health through funding vital research, promoting heart healthy lifestyles and advancing
cardiac care.