Key Statistics: Risk factors for heart disease

There are many different risk factors that increase your likelihood of developing a heart disease, such as cardiovascular disease.  

Explore the latest statistics relating to heart disease risk factors below. 

Medical Risk Factors

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (or hypertension) is a common condition of the circulatory system and is widely recognised as the leading risk factor for CVD¹

• One third of adults have high blood pressure²
• However, only 5 per cent of adults nominate high blood pressure as a key risk factor for heart disease.³

High Cholesterol⁴

High blood cholesterol⁴ is a significant risk factor for developing Cardiovascular disease

• Two in five adults are living with high cholesterol²
• Only 8% of adults nominate high cholesterol as a key risk factor for heart disease³

 

Lifestyle Risk Factors

Modifiable risk factors (e.g. cigarette smoking, physical inactivity and poor diet) contribute significantly to the risk of CVD.

Being Overweight or Obese²

You’re classified overweight if your body mass index (BMI) is 25 or over. 

• Two in three adults are overweight or obese³
• Three in ten adults believe that being overweight is a key risk factor in heart disease³

Smoking²

The smoking statistics below are in regards to ‘current smokers’, which is defined as a person that smokes daily, weekly, or less than weekly. 

• Almost 3 million people over 15 years are current smokers
• Smoking rates are down overall but increasing in males 25-34 years
• Thirty-seven per cent of adults believe that smoking is a key risk factor in heart disease³

Physical Inactivity²

Physical inactivity refers to a combination of inactivity, based on reported exercise and workplace activity.

• Four in five adults do not meet national guides for physical activity including exercise⁹
• One in seven do no form of physical activity and this is rising
• Just over two in five adults believe that being inactive is a key risk factor in heart disease³

Alcohol Consumption²

• More than 3 million adults exceed alcohol consumption guidelines¹¹
• Men are twice as likely to exceed the guidelines
• Only 13% of adults believe that alcohol consumption is a key risk factor in heart disease³

Diet

• Adults not meeting the recommended intake for vegetables⁵ has increased over the past two decades to 92 per cent.
• Improving vegetable intake to meet the recommended 5 serves per day is estimated to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 16%

Referencces

¹ Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation 2018, Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (GBD 2017) Results, Global Burden of Disease collective Network, Seattle, available from http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool
² Australian Bureau of Statistics 2018, National Health Survey 2017-18, Data customised using TableBuilder.
³ HeartWatch Survey June 2019
⁴ Prevalence of high cholesterol is defined as all Australian adults that had high measured total cholesterol, and/or self-reported as having high cholesterol.
⁵Heart Foundation Dietary Position Statement 2019