Bupa and Cricket Australia Release Latest Campaign via Big Red

In the wake of a new Bupa study that has found that the majority of Australians are unaware of key risk factors of Australia’s single biggest killer of men and women: heart disease, Bupa and Cricket Australia have launched a new campaign via Big Red, to raise awareness with the a free 60 second online heart age check.

More than 65 per cent of those surveyed did not know their total cholesterol level and one in two people (51pc) admitted they did not know their blood pressure numbers; high cholesterol and high blood pressure are two key risk factors for heart disease.

To raise awareness of the risk factors of heart disease, and encourage Australians to take steps towards improving their heart health, Bupa, with the help of Cricket Australia, has launched the Heart-to-Heart campaign, calling on the community to complete a free 60 second online heart age check.

The heart age check estimates a person’s heart age based on responses to a series of health questions, compares the result with their actual age, and provides information to help them improve their heart health.

Cricket Australia, through its partnership with Bupa as its official health and care partner, has got behind the campaign to raise awareness of heart disease in Australia and encourage people to do the heart age check, share their results and get friends and family members to do the same.

Players Michael Clarke, Peter Siddle, Brad Haddin, Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healy and Erin Osborne all feature in the Heart-to-Heart campaign. The players’ heart age results are also featured on the campaign website.

Dr Rob Grenfell, national medical director Bupa Australia and New Zealand, said the heart age check is a quick and easy way for people to take the first step towards understanding their own risk factors for heart disease, and to educating family and friends.

“Heart disease kills one Australian every 26 minutes. It’s the nation’s single biggest killer of both men and women, and about 90pc of adult Australians have at least one risk factor,” said Grenfell.

“Take the 60 second heart age check, and have a chat about it with friends, family and colleagues. Heart disease may be preventable if you take action to improve your health.

“The best way to reduce your risk of heart disease is to quit smoking, aim to do 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise a week, and keep an eye on your blood pressure, cholesterol and weight.”

To take the 60 second heart age check, visit www.bupaheartage.com.au and to join the conversation, share your heart age results via Facebook or Twitter using #heart2heart.