Heart Health Checks
Heart Health Checks
South Steyne Medical Centre offers heart check-ups to asses your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next five years.
What Is a Heart Health Check?
- What is a Heart Health Check?
- Who Needs a Heart Health Check?
- Why Should You Get a Heart Health Check?
- How Do I Get a Heart Health Check?
A Heart Health Check is a 20-minute check-up to assess your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next five years.
If you are 45 or over and do not already have heart disease, you are eligible for an annual Heart Health Check under Medicare. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are eligible from 30.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia. Many heart attacks and strokes can be prevented by adopting healthy behaviours, like eating a heart-healthy diet, being active, maintaining a healthy diet, moderating alcohol consumption, and being smoke free.
Many people may not know their risk of developing heart disease, especially since you often can’t feel risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Having a Heart Health Check gives you this information and is an important first step to protecting your heart.
An initial appointment is needed for blood work. Please visit us at 15 South Steyne, Manly NSW 2095 or call us on (02) 7209 2920 to organize your Heart Health Check. You can book an appointment through our website here.
Clinical Labs provide an onsite pathology collection point for your convenience, no appointment is required.
How Can You Improve Heart Health?
- Enjoy a Heart-Healthy Diet
A heart-healthy diet includes:
- Plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole-grains.
- A variety of healthy protein sources, especially fish and seafood, legumes (such as beans and lentils), nuts and seeds.
- Smaller amounts of eggs and lean poultry can also be included in a heart healthy diet.
- If choosing red meat, make sure the meat is lean and limit red meat to 1-3 times a week.
- Unflavoured milk, yoghurt and cheese. People with high blood cholesterol should choose reduced fat varieties.
- Healthy fat choices, including nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and their oils for cooking.
- Herbs and spices to flavour food, instead of adding salt
- Maintain a Healthy Weight
It’s important to maintain a healthy body weight. This can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol and lower your risk of having a heart problem.
The Heart Foundation recommends you aim for a waist measurement of less than 80cm for females, or 94cm for males.
If you need to lose weight, speak with us about how to do it in a healthy way.
- Be Physically Active
Start with small, realistic goals and work your way up to the recommended 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (such as brisk walking) on most days of the week.
- Avoid Smoking & Drinking
If you are a smoker, the best thing you can do for your heart is quit smoking. For support on quitting smoking, talk with our team or call the Quitline (137848 or quit.org.au).
Drink no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day
What Your Heart Health Check Results Mean
Low Risk
If your level of risk is under 10% you have a less
than 1 in 10 chance of having a heart attack or stroke
in the next five years if left unmanaged.
Moderate Risk
If your level of risk is between 10-15% you have at
least a 1 in 10 chance of having a heart attack or
stroke in the next five years if left unmanaged.
High Risk
If your level of risk is over 15% you have at least
a 1 in 7 chance of having a heart attack or stroke
in the next five years if left unmanaged.
