Key statistics: Risk factors for cardiovascular disease

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease

There are many different risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). coronary heart disease.

Most of the major risk factors that cause heart disease, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, are preventable.

See the latest statistics on cardiovascular disease risk factors below.

After learning how different risk factors affect your heart health, you might want to try the following: heart age calculator How can I know my estimated heart age?

blood pressure¹

Hypertension (also known as hypertension) is a common condition of the circulatory system and is widely recognized as a major risk factor for CVD.²

• Approximately one in four adults (23%) living in Australia have high blood pressure.
• More men than women have high blood pressure (25% vs. 22%).
• The risk of developing high blood pressure increases with age, with nearly four in five adults living with high blood pressure by age 75.
• Despite high blood pressure being so common, only 5% of adults list it as a major risk factor for heart disease.³

cholesterol¹

high blood cholesterol This is another important risk factor that can lead to CVD.

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that your body needs to make hormones and vitamin D. Your body naturally produces cholesterol, but cholesterol is also found in some foods.

• More than two in five Australian adults (42%) live with high cholesterol.^Four
• High cholesterol is most common in people between the ages of 55 and 64.
• Only 7% of adults cited high cholesterol as a major risk factor for heart disease.³

overweight or obese¹

Body mass index (BMI) is a method of estimating body size and is calculated using height and weight (weight divided by height squared).

A BMI of 25 or higher is classified as overweight, and a BMI of 30 or higher is classified as obese.

• Two in three Australian adults (66%) are overweight or obese, and the number of people living with overweight or obesity is increasing over time.
• Approximately one in four children and adolescents (28%) are over a healthy weight.
• Overweight and obesity are more common in men (71%) than women (61%), and these rates have increased over time for both men and women.
• Despite the majority of Australian adults being overweight or obese, only one in four adults consider being overweight or obese to be a risk factor for developing heart disease.³ 

It’s important to remember that BMI is not the most reliable measure of whether your weight is within a healthy range for your height. This is not a good indicator of your overall health and does not take into account important factors such as age, gender, and body composition (fat, muscle, bone).

Please visit BMI calculator To know your BMI.

smoking¹

The smoking statistics below are for people who currently smoke daily.

• Approximately 11% of Australian adults (2.1 million people) currently smoke daily. This percentage has steadily decreased from his 22.4% in 2001.
• Nearly three in five adults (58%) have never smoked. The proportion of adults who have never smoked has also increased over time.
• Men are more likely to smoke daily than women (12.6% vs. 8.7%).
• Men and women aged 55 to 64 are most likely to smoke.
• One in three adults (31%) believe that smoking is a major risk factor for developing heart disease.³

physical activity¹

The information below is based on self-reported “total physical activity,” which includes sports and exercise, walking for fitness and transportation, and activities at work.

• Three in four adults (75%) don’t meet Australia’s physical activity requirements guidelines And one in eight (12%) engage in no physical activity at all.
• Physical activity rates have improved slightly since the 2017-18 National Health Survey.
• Slightly more women (78%) do not meet physical activity guidelines compared to men (73%).
• Only one-third of adults believe that low physical activity is a major risk factor for heart disease.³

alcohol²

Current evidence shows that there is no safe or recommended amount of alcohol intake for cardiovascular health.

Some conditions, especially atrial fibrillation and high blood pressurethe more you drink, the higher your risk of developing this condition.

• More than 5.2 million (27%) adults consume more alcohol than Australians guidelinesmen are twice as likely as women to exceed these guidelines.
• Despite being high, the prevalence of excessive alcohol consumption among adult men has decreased over time.
• Men ages 55 to 64 and women ages 35 to 44 are most likely to exceed alcohol guidelines.
• Only one in 10 Australian adults believe alcohol consumption is a risk factor for heart disease.³

diet¹

An unhealthy diet is one of the main risk factors for heart disease.

People of all ages living in Australia generally don’t eat enough of the key food groups needed to maintain overall health and eat too many foods high in salt, saturated fat and sugar. .

What you eat and drink can affect several heart disease risk factors, including blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight.

• 93.5% of Australian adults do not meet their recommended vegetable intake (5 or more servings of vegetables per day), and this proportion has increased over the past 20 years.
• The average adult consumes less than half the recommended amount of vegetables per day.
• It is estimated that improving vegetable intake to meet the recommended minimum of five servings per day can help reduce the risk of CVD in the Australian population by 17%.^Five