The figures in the
online YouGov poll relate to 46 per cent of men and 43 per cent of women.
Overall, fewer than
half of adults (42 per cent) were aware of the threshold for high blood
pressure (a reading of 140/90) which can increase the risk of heart attack and
stroke, and almost half of adults (46 per cent) didn’t know what a healthy Body
Mass Index is.
Body Mass Index is
calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres
squared. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 25.
The survey also found
that more than a third of people (34 per cent) underestimated how much exercise
they should be doing a week.
Only 15 per cent knew
that adults are advised to do 30 minutes of exercise, five times a week to
maintain a healthy heart yet.
The charity says the
findings, published to coincide with World Heart Day, mean that millions of
people are putting the health of their heart at risk because they are not
taking the necessary steps to prevent heart disease.
Heart disease ranks
bottom of the list of health concerns for most people even though it is the
UK’s single biggest killer claiming 73,000 lives a year.
Just two per cent of
Britons are afraid of developing the condition, according to the poll of over
2,000 people for the British Heart Foundation.
This compares with 33
per cent who worry about developing dementia, 29 per cent who are afraid of
cancer, nine per cent who dread Motor Neurone Disease and six per cent who fear
a stroke.
The only conditions to
rank alongside heart disease are Parkinson’s and the Ebola virus.
Furthermore, although
most people are aware of the risk factors for developing heart disease, such as
high blood pressure, being overweight, a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet,
they don’t actually know what this means.
It also raises the
question why despite huge awareness campaigns for heart disease, the messages
are not getting through.
Dr Mike Knapton,
Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘Your heart
is the most vital organ in your body, but all too often we take it for granted.
‘Despite being a
largely preventable condition, coronary heart disease is still the UK’s single
biggest killer, causing unnecessary heartache for thousands of families.
'By taking control of
your heart health, you can invest in and enjoy your future health and life.’
Maureen Talbot, a
Senior Cardiac Nurse at the charity, added: ‘There are still people out there
that think heart disease will never happen to them and are shocked when it
does.
‘Showing the benefits
of reducing risk factors is quite a slow process and although things have
improved, it is not always obvious. There is always more than can be done to
get the right message out at the right time.
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