New Zealand's Heart Foundation launched an online tool to help fight heart disease. The tool, The Heart Age Forecast is available at knowyournumbers. co. nz, which will be able to calculate a person’s current and future risk of heart disease or stroke. It also provides the heart health plan, which should be followed by them to practice a healthier life style.

More than 40% New Zealanders die of heart attacks every year, as compared to other developed nations. An average New Zealander dies from coronary heart disease in every 90 minutes. About 40% of the deaths are due to cardiovascular disease.

Heart Foundation Medical Director, Professor Norman Sharpe revealed that these statistics are alarming and indicate an urgent need to address heart health in New Zealand.

Sharpe said, “The frustrating thing for us is that so many of these deaths are preventable if people make some relatively minor lifestyle changes. Our hope with this tool is that it will shock at-risk people into making these changes”.

The Heart Foundation and the University of Auckland developed the Heart Age Forecast, which calculates a person’s blood pressure and cholesterol ratio, the two most important numbers they’ll ever need to know. The website provides people with a six week, individually tailored heart plan, which will help people in controlling their own health.

Tips and information are provided by the website, through the weekly plans which helps them remove harmful lifestyle choices.