Watch above: The Heart and Stroke Foundation has released the results of a new study suggesting Canadians heart health is improving. Meaghan Craig finds out how we can continue to better the results.
SASKATOON – It’s a unique snapshot into our heart health over the course of the last 60 years. On Tuesday, the Heart and Stroke Foundation released it’s 2015 Report on the Health of Canadians. The study highlights the successes achieved when it comes to improving cardiovascular health and outlines the challenges ahead.
One of the greatest accomplishments to be revealed in report in terms of heart disease over the past 60 years is survival rates. Today, the chances of dying from a heart attack have decreased five-fold but there are still challenges ahead.
“Nine out of 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease or stroke, most people don’t know that,” said Tim Hillier, Heart and Stroke board member and an advance care paramedic.
“We know that research has really helped us help people survive but we know that there are more patients coming now with heart disease and that’s likely due to an increase in sedentary lifestyle, increase in obesity and being overweight,” added cardiologist Dr. Andrea Lavoie.
READ MORE: How heart disease has changed over the past 60 year
According to the report, diabetes rates in heart attack patients have also sky rocketed from 17 per cent to 31 per cent. More than 2 million Canadians live with diabetes. That’s six per cent of the population with experts predicting these rates will climb to 11 per cent by 2020.
The face of heart disease is also changing.
“We know that women actually have a very high prevalence or have a much higher chance of having heart disease then we ever knew before and younger patients as well so that whole shift from the older man having a heart attack is just really not the case,” remarked Lavoie.
In the 1950’s, cardiovascular disease was responsible for almost half of all deaths in Canada but today it’s only responsible for one-quarter of all deaths. Survival rates have also jumped from between 65 to 70 per cent to 95 per cent among those who make it to a hospital following a heart attack.
One of those survivors is Kirby Drury who, at the time, was 34 when he collapsed on the ice at a local hockey rink in 2005.
“I didn’t really know what had happened and from what I hear from all the people that I’ve talked to if there wasn’t an AED (automated external defibrillator) there I wouldn’t be here today,” said Drury.
At the time of the cardiac arrest, Drury had no history of heart problems.
“I was busy at work, I didn’t eat properly, I thought I just don’t feel good and I collapsed on the ice.” said Drury, who today said for the most part he is back to a clean bill of health.
“My cardiologists are really happy with the way things have gone and with medications, I have a heart arrhythmia so with medications they’ve got that under control and I live every day like a normal person.”
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation there are factors that are out of your control when it comes to your cardiovascular health: age, gender, ethnicity, family history and a history of stroke but there are others you can influence.
Keys to good heart health include:
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Be physically active.
- Be smoke-free.
- If you choose to drink, drink in moderation.
- Manage your stress.
- Know your blood pressure.
- Keep your blood cholesterol in check.
- If you have diabetes make sure to manage it.
- Achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
“I think it brings a reality check into what you put into your body, what you make your body do on a daily basis but I think it’s probably smart for everyone to do that,” added Drury.
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