A new study says although heart attack and stroke victims in Canada have a very high chance of survival if they can get to a hospital, too many of them are not making the necessary lifestyle changes to prevent further attacks.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation study finds out of 2,000 heart attack and stroke survivors polled across the country, more than 50 per cent said they were unable to make the healthy changes necessary to prevent further attacks.
Saskatchewan Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson Dr. Wadea Tarhuni says part of the problem is a lack of access to the necessary cardiology rehabilitation programming survivors need to help them make these changes.
“Only actually one-third of survivors will get access to cardiac rehab,” he says.
Tarhuni adds the Aboriginal population tends be at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke and early intervention is the key.
“So I see that the opportunity is to do a program targeting high risk populations in terms of getting the education part and to get them about risk factors, help them to change their lifestyle.”
The report says more than 90 per cent of heart attack and 80 per cent of stroke victims will survive if they make it to a hospital.
It also says some of the barriers survivors face in making healthy lifestyle changes include feelings that goals are unrealistic and too much change is required at once.