Whittlesea has the second- highest rate of heart failure in the state.
New Heart Foundation data maps heart attack and cardiac arrest rates in each local government area in Victoria, and new data shows that in the five years from 2008 until 2013, Whittlesea residents had the second-highest incidence of heart failure and the 12th-highest rate of heart attacks.
The Victorian Heart Maps, released last week, reveal that the municipality’s heart health was worse than expected, the rate of heart failure being attributed to higher than average rates of obesity, and, for both men and women, the city having more smokers than the national average.
The data reveals more than 40 per cent of the population does not exercise enough, the second-worst rate in the state. Fruit consumption is also low, but vegetable consumption is a little better than average.
The heart maps have been collated using the past six years of Ambulance Victoria’s out-of-hospital cardiac arrest figures as well as hospitalisation rates for heart attack, for each council area.
Hume has the third and fourth-highest rates of heart failure and cardiac arrest, respectively, in Victoria.
Whittlesea mayor Ricky Kirkham said the Heart Foundation’s figures did not come as a surprise as many residents had a poor diet, exercised rarely, and smoked.
He said the popular, free personal training-in-the park program would restart next month. The program uses professional fitness trainers to run out- door gym sessions and lead park walks.
