Heart disease campaign expanded

Hawke's Bay and Northland will soon be targeted by a campaign to fight heart disease following its success in other regions.

The One Heart Many Lives community campaign, supported by government drug buying agency Pharmac, was piloted in Porirua in 2003 and the agency's medical director Peter Moodie said it was growing and producing positive results.

The programme, aimed at reducing heart disease for men aged over 35, is particularly targeted at Maori and Pacific Island men, who have higher than average rates of cardiovascular disease and on average die younger than other New Zealanders.

Dr Moodie said following the initial Pharmac and Capital and Coast District Health Board push, the Porirua community had taken over the running of the initiative.

It had also since been introduced in west Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne.

Dr Moodie said heart disease was New Zealand's single biggest killer and that message was used to keep the campaign running successfully.

He said talks were underway to extend the campaign into Hawke's Bay and Northland.

"In Hawke's Bay we know there are areas of need, and the campaign will have the support of the DHB in that region," he said.

"Northland is another area where we know there are low rates of prescribing for statins, which lower cholesterol and help lower overall cardiovascular risk."

- NZPA