YARRIAMBIACK Shire heart health statistics are below the state average, with the Heart Foundation Victoria predicting health will worsen further in the next 20 years.
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The foundation launched a heart health fact sheet at a shire event on Tuesday.
The fact sheet revealed heart attack rates were 48.9 per cent higher than forecast based on the current age structure of the Yarriambiack community.
Angina rates were 71.1 per cent higher than expected and heart failure 13.3 per cent higher.
Yarriambiack’s rate of cardiac arrest was the only positive area for the shire, at 20.1 per cent lower than expected.
A Heart Foundation forecast indicates Yarriambiack’s heart attack rate will rise to 68.9 per 10,000 people in 2026 and 79.9 in 2036.
The research showed Yarriambiack residents also had high levels of heart health high-risk activities.
In 2011 to 2012, obesity rates were 17 per cent higher in Yarriambiack males and 18 per cent higher in the shire’s females than the state average.
The number of smokers in Yarriambiack was higher than the Victorian average, as was the number of people who did not eat enough fruit or vegetables daily, and consumed soft drink daily.
Yarriambiack residents collectively were fitter in comparison with the rest of the state, with only 25.5 per cent of residents identified as not doing enough physical activity. The Victorian figure average was 32.1 per cent.
Yarriambiack Mayor Andrew McLean said council had started working with health agencies to improve health outcomes in the community.
“Council is developing new walking tracks around the Yarriambiack Creek and in most towns, and partnering Royal Northwest Health in its obesity prevention program,” he said.
“Our early years program has also targeted healthy eating initiatives during Childrens Week for the past three years to raise awareness of the importance of good nutrition at an early age.”
Heart Foundation Victoria healthy living manager Roni Beauchamp said the foundation hoped the fact sheet would prove valuable for the municipality and also lead to greater discussion within the community.
“Now we have a comprehensive overview of the state of heart health in Victoria, the Heart Foundation is calling on all governments to fund prevention programs in regional areas that need it most,” she said.
“Eighty per cent of heart disease is preventable and risk factors are predominately lifestyle related.”
