Picture: SANDRA MORELLO
MOUNT Gambier residents have been urged to become active amid alarming new figures revealing the city is ranked the second highest council area in the state for heart-related hospital admissions.
Figures also show nearly 37pc of residents are considered obese, with Grant District residents topping the state at a whopping 41pc.
Mount Gambier is also among the worst-performing areas for insufficient exercise, according to new Heart Foundation data.
Throwing the issue into the limelight, the Heart Foundation Community Hearts team is offering free blood pressure and cholesterol measurements in Mount Gambier today and tomorrow.
Heart Foundation SA chief executive officer Imelda Lynch yesterday called on the Mount Gambier community to get active to reduce the risk of heart disease.
“The obesity level is at 37pc for Mount Gambier, which is higher than the national average of 28pc,” Ms Lynch said.
Worryingly, she said up to 73pc of Mount Gambier residents are not meeting the minimal physical activity standard of exercising for 30 minutes per day.
“This is of great concern, as exercise has a positive effect on blood pressure and cholesterol and is important for overall health and wellbeing,” Ms Lynch said.
“The good news is that heart disease is largely preventable through management of these risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol management, not smoking, increasing physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight.
“We are encouraging the people of Mount Gambier to take action and improve the heart health of the community.”
The newly-developed Community Hearts project is designed to motivate people to visit their GP for a comprehensive heart health check.
People aged 45 and above (30 and above for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples) should visit their GP to determine their risk of heart disease and, if needed, begin early intervention in the hope of preventing a future heart attack or stroke.
“With the Medicare-funded Heart Health Check, your GP will make a comprehensive assessment of your blood pressure, cholesterol levels and smoking status along with other heart disease risk factors which include weight, diet and your family history,” Ms Lynch said.
During the Mount Gambier visit, the Community Hearts team will measure cholesterol and blood pressure as they are two of the leading risk factors for heart disease.
Meanwhile, Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin – who had her blood pressure and cholesterol checked yesterday – urges Mount Gambier residents to take advantage of the free assessments.
“I encourage the community to take a proactive approach to their health and ascertain their level of risk to heart disease by visiting the Heart Foundation team while they are carrying out measurements in Mount Gambier,” Ms Martin said.
The Heart Foundation team, comprising Heart Foundation staff and volunteers, is working as part of a partnership with Toyota.
The health checks are being held at the Noel Barr Toyota Dealership in Mount Gambier.
Under its partnership with Toyota, the Community Hearts project team is visiting 13 Toyota dealerships across South Australia.
