

Do you live in a NSW heart-attack hot spot?
Media Release - 1 December 2020
New Heart Foundation figures released today reveal the NSW regions with the highest and lowest rates of hospitalisations from heart attack.
The figures show that the Riverina region – which includes Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Gundagai and Deniliquin – is the state’s heart-attack capital. People living in this region are admitted to hospital for heart attacks at a rate of 21.5 per 10,000 people. This is well above the state average (14.5).
Sydney’s Blacktown region is a close second, with a heart-attack hospitalisation rate of 21.1, followed by Sydney’s Outer South West (18.7), Richmond - Tweed (18.2) and Coffs Harbour -Grafton (18.1). The lowest rates are found in Sydney’s most affluent areas.
The statistics are part of the latest update to the Heart Foundation’s Australian Heart Maps. This is an online tool that allows users to look at data for heart disease deaths, hospitalisations and risk factors at a national, state, regional and LGA level.
According to the data, the New England and North West region, which includes Tamworth, Armidale, Inverell, Moree and Gunnedah, has the state’s highest rate of deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD). This region’s death rate is 85.8 out of every 100,000 people, well above the state average of 64.5. It is also nearly double the region with the lowest rate, North Sydney and Hornsby. Of the 10 NSW regions with the lowest CHD death rates, all are in metropolitan Sydney.
In terms of heart disease risk factors:
- Obesity: The Far West and Orana region, which includes Dubbo, Broken Hill, Gilgandra and Bourke, has the state’s highest rate of obesity (44.4 per cent). This is more than double the rate of North Sydney and Hornsby (18.6 per cent), which has the lowest.
- Smoking: Far West and Orana tops the state again, with a smoking rate of 21.2 per cent – three times higher than the lowest-ranked region (North Sydney and Hornsby, 7.1 per cent). Of the 10 regions with the highest smoking rates, all but one are in regional and rural areas.
- Blood pressure: Across all regions, just over one in five people in NSW has high blood pressure. The rate is highest in the Hunter Valley (excluding Newcastle) and Sydney’s Parramatta (both with a rate of 23.9 per cent).
- Physical inactivity: Sydney’s South West has the highest rate, with more than three in four people not active enough for good health. People living on Sydney’s Northern Beaches are the most active in NSW, but even there, more than half are still not active enough.
“These figures reveal an alarming inequality between the NSW residents who are most and least at risk of heart disease, as well as those who are most and least likely to be hospitalised or die from the condition, including from a heart attack,” said the Heart Foundation’s NSW/ACT Heart Health Manager, Anna Flynn.
“If you live in the state’s remote south, north or west, or in a disadvantaged part of Sydney, you have a much higher chance of heart disease, which remains the single leading cause of death in NSW,” Ms Flynn said.
“This is unacceptable, and the Heart Foundation will continue its work to reduce heart disease. We also urge governments at all levels to take action to curb the toll – especially in regional, rural and disadvantaged areas, where our Heart Maps show the burden of heart disease is at its highest.”
The Heart Foundation encourages all NSW residents to take action to protect their heart health. If you’re 45 and over, or from age 30 if you’re Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, talk to your GP about having a Heart Health Check.
Are you at risk of heart disease?
Are you at risk of heart disease?
Are you at risk of heart disease?
There is no single cause for any one heart condition, but there are risk factors that increase your chance of developing one. ...
Heart Healthy Dinner Plan
Heart Healthy Dinner Plan
Heart Healthy Dinner Plan
Sign up now and discover delicious, easy to follow dinner recipes. Plus shopping lists, tips and other helpful information to make healthy eating easy. ...
Help Keep families together this Christmas
Help Keep families together this Christmas
Help Keep families together this Christmas
Together, we can make heart disease history. Donate today to help fund ground-breaking heart research and keep families together this Christmas. ...
Heart Foundation Recovery Support and Resources
Heart Foundation Recovery Support and Resources
Heart Foundation Recovery Support and Resources
Heart Foundation programs and resources to support your recovery....
Aboriginal heart health
Aboriginal heart health
Aboriginal heart health
Visit the St Vincents Hospital NSW and Heart Foundation Aboriginal heart health website for more information...
Support and resources for health care professionals
Support and resources for health care professionals
Support and resources for health care professionals
Our range of clinical and patient support resources are available for you to use in your daily practice....
Clinical Guidelines
Clinical Guidelines
Clinical Guidelines
Full list of clinical guidlines and references for CVD, heart failure, ACS, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, SCAD and RHD...
Fundraise to save Australian hearts
Fundraise to save Australian hearts
Fundraise to save Australian hearts
Join the Heart Foundation community. Together, we can make a real difference for Australian hearts. ...
Support us and help save Australian hearts
Support us and help save Australian hearts
Support us and help save Australian hearts
Join the fight against Australia’s biggest killer by supporting the Heart Foundation. ...
Baking recipes
Baking recipes
Baking recipes
Find heart healthy baking recipes ...
National tobacco strategy
National tobacco strategy
Frameworks supporting tobacco control in Australia ...
Leaving a gift in your Will: A lasting legacy
Leaving a gift in your Will: A lasting legacy
Leaving a gift in your Will: A lasting legacy
One of the most powerful ways to help support a future without heart disease is to include a gift to the Heart Foundation in your Will...
Is salt bad for your heart?
Is salt bad for your heart?
Is salt bad for your heart?
Most Australians are eating more than the recommended amounts and this can cause health problems....
Supporting SA cardiac patients and health professionals with free resources
Supporting SA cardiac patients and health professionals with free resources
Supporting SA cardiac patients and health professionals with free resources
We want to make it easier for South Australians to lead heart-healthy lives....
Encouraging cardiovascular research excellence in South Australia
Encouraging cardiovascular research excellence in South Australia
Encouraging cardiovascular research excellence in South Australia
State based advocacy
State based advocacy
State based advocacy activity supporting local communities...
What is FoodTrack?
What is FoodTrack?
What is FoodTrack?
FoodTrack supports the collection and monitoring of nutrition and product data for foods and beverages in Australian supermarkets. ...
Driving and travelling after a heart attack
Driving and travelling after a heart attack
Driving and travelling after a heart attack
Explore our guide for driving and heart attack recovery. ...
10 ways to get the right balance of fats
10 ways to get the right balance of fats
10 ways to get the right balance of fats
Getting the right balance of fats in your diet can improve your heart health....
What is an arrhythmia?
What is an arrhythmia?
What is an arrhythmia?
Arrhythmia is a fault in the heart’s electrical system, which affects your heart’s pumping rhythm....
Heart Foundation recipes
Heart Foundation recipes
Heart Foundation recipes
Check out our recipe categories to find your next heart healthy meal....
Absolute CVD risk assessment resources
Absolute CVD risk assessment resources
Resources and clinical information for health professionals...
Research funding programs
Research funding programs
Research funding programs
Our research funding supports outstanding researchers who share our vision of an Australia free from heart disease. ...
Atrial fibrillation resources for patients
Atrial fibrillation resources for patients
Lunch recipes
Lunch recipes
Lunch recipes
Search our lunch recipe ideas...
Advocating for healthy hearts throughout Australia
Advocating for healthy hearts throughout Australia
We're addressing the disparities in heart health so all Australians can live longer, healthier lives....
When The Heart Gets Heavy: Emotional Wellbeing and Heart Conditions
When The Heart Gets Heavy: Emotional Wellbeing and Heart Conditions
Emotional wellbeing is like having a garden, sometimes it grows green on its own, other times it needs watering, cutting back or fertilising....
Philanthropic investments
Philanthropic investments
Philanthropic investments
Making philanthropic investments through the Heart Foundation can transform Australians’ health. ...
Hypertension clinical information and guidelines
Hypertension clinical information and guidelines
Clinical information for diagnosis and management of hypertension....
Jaxson skips through a bucket list of Sydney landmarks
Jaxson skips through a bucket list of Sydney landmarks
Jaxson skips through a bucket list of Sydney landmarks
Media Release - 15 September 2020...