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Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada report warns of growing prevalence of heart risks

January 25, 2010

In its 2010 Annual Report on Canadians’ Health, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada cautions that current demographics coupled with the prevalence of risk factors could amplify the burden of heart disease on Canada’s health-care system.

One of the key messages in the report is that heart disease is not a condition that affects only older white men. Risk factors have been rising in young people, First Nations populations, Canadians of South Asian and African-Caribbean descent, and women.

Prevalence of major risk factors for heart disease increased dramatically between 1994 and 2005. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s report, obesity increased by 18 per cent in Canada, diabetes by 45 per cent, and high blood pressure by an alarming 77 per cent. These increases were even more pronounced in Canadians between the ages of 35 and 49.

Young women may be making lifestyle choices that could lay the groundwork for poor heart health. Among women ages 20-34, more than half (51 per cent) are physically inactive, almost one-third (31 per cent) are overweight or obese and one-quarter (25 per cent) are smokers. Two per cent have high blood pressure, and 1 per cent have diabetes.

In women ages 35-44, physical inactivity remains a problem affecting 54 per cent, while 40 per cent are overweight or obese. Smoking is slightly lower in this age group (22 per cent), but diabetes affects 2 per cent of these women, and 6 per cent have high blood pressure.

In the 45-64 age group, more than one million women (23 per cent) have high blood pressure, and almost 325,000 (7 per cent) have diabetes. More than half (51 per cent) are overweight or obese, and more than half (54 per cent) are inactive. About one in five (21 per cent) smokes.

The report calls on federal and provincial governments to mobilize against heart disease, but also urges Canadians to take action by educating themselves about risk factors, being more active and eating a healthier diet.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada’s 2010 Annual Report on Canadians’ Health was published on Jan. 25, 2010, and is available from the foundation’s website. The report uses self-reported data from Statistics Canada’s 2007-08 Canadian Community Health Survey.

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