DON'T BECOME A STATISTIC!

Don’t become a statistic- get a heart and diabetes check. More than 6000 people die every year from heart disease and diabetes. The Heart Foundation is urging people to avoid becoming a statistic by going to the doctor and asking for a heart and diabetes check.

Former All Black legend Wayne “Buck” Shelford is backing the Foundation’s campaign.  “The problem is we Kiwi men are too staunch to go to the doctor for a general check-up. Men generally, and Maori and Pacific Island men in particular, don't look after themselves as well as women,” he says. "We've got all the excuses. ’I don't have time'; 'I'm not sick'. Many men might not have a check-up for years, if ever. We need to get rid of that attitude."

Wayne says Maori and Pacific Island men are at high risk.  For example, for Maori the statistics show that heart disease mortality is about two times higher for Maori than non-Maori. “We need to make the time to look after ourselves because at the end of the day, it's not just about us. It's being there for our families.  We're the senior warrior in our families and they need us to be around."

Who needs a heart check?

You should ask aboutt a heart check if you are in one of these groups:
• Maori, Pacific Islander and Indo-Asian men over 35 and women over 45
• European men over 45 and European women over 55.

What is a heart check?

A heart health check (or cardiovascular risk assessment) will give you information on how to reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next five years. It will let you know what your risk is and, more importantly, the best strategies to improve your heart health and lead a better life.

Your family doctor or nurse will:

• Ask about your risk factors such as smoking, exercise and diet
• Ask if there is any family history of heart attack or stroke
• Measure your blood pressure, height, weight and waist
• Test your cholesterol and blood glucose levels (for diabetes).
After considering all the risk factors, your doctor or nurse will calculate your risk of having a heart attack or stroke over the next five years.

To find out more visit www.heartfoundation.org.nz