Exercise is Medicine® Australia supports Heart Week 2013 and benefits of exercise in preventing heart attacks

Exercise is Medicine® Australia [EIM], an initiative of Exercise & Sports Science Australia [ESSA], today announced its support for Heart Week 2013, the annual Heart Foundation campaign, whose theme this year is spotlighting the warning signs of a heart attack. Heart Week 2013 started on Monday and finishes on 11 May. 

EIM encourages health-care providers to prescribe physical activity for disease prevention and treatment, and shares the Heart Foundation’s view that exercise can serve as a means of potentially preventing heart attacks. 

“Statistics[1] show that almost 10,000 Australians die annually from a heart attack. However, with a suitable exercise prescription, people can expect to manage – or even reduce – their risk,” said Anita Hobson-Powell, executive officer of ESSA.  “Think of exercise as a directive from your health-care provider that can advance your overall physical and clinical fitness, as well as your mental health.”

“The benefits of exercise in preventing heart attacks far outweigh the risks,” continued Ms Hobson-Powell. “Regular moderate-intensity exercise has many benefits, from improved heart function to enhanced psychological wellbeing and favourable changes in body weight and composition.” 

EIM offers free resources to educate the public on maintaining heart health, including these downloadable fact sheets:

·         Chronic heart failure, www.exerciseismedicine.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/chronic-heart-failure_full.pdf

·         Coronary heart disease, www.exerciseismedicine.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/CHD_full.pdf

For those interested in incorporating heart-healthy physical activity into their lifestyles, EIM makes available a free resource for the public. The PACE calendar – Public Activity Calendar of Events - lists fitness and activity opportunities for all levels, and can be viewed online at www.exerciseismedicine.org.au/active-workplaces/events.

“From fun runs to triathlons, ocean swims and more, EIM’s PACE calendar – which is updated frequently – offers activity choices for everyone,” said Ms Hobson-Powell.

EIM is also celebrating its second birthday. Ms Hobson-Powell noted this offers an occasion to look back on the initiative’s public health achievements – and ahead to campaigns planned for the upcoming year.

“A highlight of the past year for EIM was an expansion into workplace health, centring on a partnership with the Healthier Australia Commitment,” she shared.

The partnership featured the October 2012 launch of EIM’s ’Physical Activity in the Workplace: A Guide’, a toolkit that incorporates current evidence and best practices, including resources and audit tools. The Guide is available for free download from the EIM website, www.exerciseismedicine.org.au. Hard copies can be ordered from the ESSA Shop, www.essa.org.au.

The Guide was accompanied by EIM’s innovative, online ‘Be Active at Work Survey’, which provides instant, personalised feedback to participants and acts as a valuable needs analysis tool for an entire organisation. “We’re especially thrilled that the Survey also provides de-identified data, which can be leveraged to design interventions and measure the effectiveness of the program,” added Ms Hobson-Powell.

EIM also added 11 new, free-to-download fact sheets this past year, bringing its available total to 23. The new factsheets are on topics highly relevant to public health, and include these topics:

·         Acquired Brain Injury

·         Alzheimer’s disease

·         Chronic heart failure and exercise

·         Chronic pain

·         Dyslipidaemia

·         Falls in older people

·         Hypertension

·         Kidney disease

·         Lower back pain

·         Metabolic syndrome

·         Parkinson’s disease

Looking ahead to the next 12 months, Ms Hobson-Powell said EIM’s focus will centred firmly on a greater focus of primary care engagement. “We’re looking forward to the upcoming launch of continuing education for GPs and practice nurses, and a repeat of our successful ‘31 Days, 31 Patients’ prescribed-exercise program,” shared Ms Hobson-Powell. 

EIM will also keep a keen focus on its expansion into workplace health, and continue lobbying for inclusion of physical activity as a vital sign in medial software, according to Ms. Hobson-Powell.

Regardless of medical speciality, EIM encourages health-care providers to review and assess every patient’s physical activity levels at every visit. Patients should be counselled on exercise regimens, with visits concluding with exercise clearance and prescription or referral to an accredited exercise physiologist or fitness professional, according to EIM. The initiative’s goal is to generate improvement in the Australian public’s health, and long-term reduction in healthcare costs.

To learn more, visit www.exerciseismedicine.org.au.

Ends.

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