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Heart health will be achievable by everyone in Australia by 2050

Heart health will be achievable by everyone in Australia by 2050

    Heart disease remains Australia’s leading cause of mortality, responsible for one in four deaths nationwide.

    Despite advancements in treatment and prevention, the burden of heart disease continues to grow, with millions of people in Australia living with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and other preventable risk factors.2 These conditions not only affect individuals but also place a significant strain on families, communities, and the healthcare system. The scale of this challenge demands an equally substantive response.

    1 in 4 deaths in Australia are caused by heart disease
    33% of adults in Australia are living with high cholesterol
    1 in 3 adults living in Australia have high blood pressure - the leading risk factor for heart disease
    The number of people reporting daily e-cigarette use has more than tripled over the last five years
    2 in 3 adults, and 1 in 4 children in Australia are living with overweight or obesity
    Heart disease kills one person every 12 minutes
    Many heart disease risk factors are preventable through a healthy lifestyle
    Heart disease costs the Australian economy over $14 billion each year, more than any other disease
    More than 8 in 10 people in Australia that live with heart disease also have one or more additional chronic conditions
    Only about 10% of people who have a cardiac arrest out of hospital survive
    People living in the lowest socioeconomic quintile have heart disease death rates 50% higher than those in the highest socioeconomic areas
    First Nations peoples die from heart disease at a rate 40% higher than non-Indigenous Australians

    *On these pages, heart disease is used to refer to all conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels, including stroke. These conditions are also known as cardiovascular disease.

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