HEART & STROKE Risk Self-Test
Dr.Anca’s HEART & STROKE Risk Self-Test
Cardio-vascular disease is #1 killer in western countries. Are you ready to take charge and reduce your risk? Take this Heart and Stroke Self-Test and find out how you score.
I.Are You At Risk? Your Personal Medical Risk Profile
I. Has your father, mother, sister(s) or brother(s) suffered a heart attack, required heart surgery, or had a stroke prior to age 65?
a) Yes
b) No
II. Are you diabetic?
a) Yes
b) No
III. Have you been told by a health professional that you have high blood pressure or do you take medication to lower your blood pressure?
a) Yes
b) No
IV. Have you been told by a health professional that you have high blood cholesterol or have ever been prescribed a cholesterol-lowering medication?
a) Yes
b) No
V. Has your doctor told you that you have a heart condition, have you ever suffered a heart attack, required heart surgery, or had a stroke?
a) Yes
b) No
VI. Are you:
a) Age 65 or over
b) Age 40-65 years
c) Under age 40
Personal risk profile
Question Answer Your Score
1 a=2 points; b= 0 points
2 a= 2 points; b= 0 points
3 a= 2 points; b= 0 points
4 a= 2 points; b= 0 points
5 a= 2 points; b= 0 points
6 a= 2 points; b= 1 point; c= 0 points
Total: _________
II) How healthy is Your Lifestyle?
1. Do you smoke?
a) Yes – heavily (one or more packs a day)
b) Yes (less than one pack a day)
c) Not now (quit within the past three years)
d) Never smoked or quit more than three years ago
2. Do you live or work with people who smoke?
a) Yes
b) No
3. Do you perform physical activity (such as walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, step-training or dancing) for a daily total of 30 minutes, three or more times each week?
a) No
b) Yes
4. Using the table below, find your BMI – body mass index. Plot your current weight and draw a horizontal line across the chart. Next, find you’re your height and draw a vertical line from the top to the bottom of the chart. Where do these two lines cross?
5. How would you describe the amount of fat in your diet?
a) Very high ( I eat a lot of high-fat dairy products, meat, bakery products and snack foods)
b) Moderately high (I use some lower-fat dairy products and lean red meat, and try to limit the amount of bakery products and snack foods)
c) Very low (I eat a wide variety of grain products, vegetables and fruit and choose lower fat dairy products and lean meats)
6. If you take oral contraceptives, do you also smoke?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not applicable
2 Your Lifestyle Risk profile
Question Answer Your score
1 a=4 points; b=3 points; c=1 point; d=0 points
2 a=2 points; b= 0 point
3 a=2 points; b=0 points
4 BMI less than 25 (healthy range) = 0 points;
BMI between 25 and 27 = 1 points;
BMI greater than 27 = 2 points
5 a= 2 points; b= 1 point; c= 0 points
6 a= 2 points; b= 0 points; c= 0 points
Total: ______________
What’s Your heart And Stroke I.Q.?
1. The signs and symptoms of coronary heart disease are:
a) The same in both sexes
b) Can be different in men and women
2. High blood pressure – hypertension – is caused by:
a) Being tense and stressed
b) Too much salt in the diet
c) In most cases, we don’t know what cause it
3. The following symptoms may occur alone or in combination:
· Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side
· Sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye
· Sudden loss of speech, trouble talking or understanding speech
· Sudden severe headache with no apparent cause
· Unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness or sudden falls, especially along with any of the previous symptoms
These are symptoms of:
a) Stroke
b) Angina pectoris
c) Heart Attack
4. When you compare men and women who have heart attacks:
a) Men are greater risk of dying from a heart attack
b) Women are at greater risk of dying from a heart attack
c) Men and women are at equal risk of dying from a heart attack
5. After menopause, a woman’s risk of heart disease and stroke:
a) Decrease
b) Stays the same
c) Increases
3 Your heart And Stroke I.Q
Question Answer Your Score
1 a= 0 points; b= 2 points
2 a= 0 points; b= 1 points; c=0 points
3 a=2 points; b= 0 points; c= 0 points
4 a= 0 points; b= 2 points; c= 0 points
4 a= 0 points; b= 0 points; c=2 points
Total:______________
III) Are You ready to take Charge?
1. What would you do if you experienced the following:
· Pain, a feeling of tightness, pressure, or burning sensation in the chest and/or radiating down the arm or up into the neck or jaw
· Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, nausea or feeling of indigestion
· A feeling of anxiety, sweating, weakness
a) Go to bed and hope it goes away?
b) Call 911 or emergency services?
2. How often do you have your blood pressure checked?
a) Once every two years – more frequently, if physician advises
b) Once every five years
c) Never
3. How often should your cholesterol level be checked?
a) Never – only men need to have their cholesterol levels checked
b) There is no one answer – it depends upon your age, risk factors for heart disease and stroke, and other health conditions
4. If your doctor prescribes medication to lower your blood pressure, you can safely skip taking it when:
a) You’re on vacation and feeling relaxed
b) You run out and can’t get to the store for a couple of days
c) You can never skip your medication
5. The single best way of improving your diet would be to:
a) Buy packaged foods that are labeled “cholesterol-free”
b) Increase the amount of fibre and decrease the amount of fat in your diet
c) Switch to sugar-free foods
6. Have you talked to your doctor about:
a) Smoking: how and when to quit
b) Approaching menopause: the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy
c) Family history of premature heart disease or stroke in your family: how to reduce your risk
d) None of the above.
4 Ready to Take Charge
Questions Answer s Your Score
1 a=0 points; b= 2 point
2 a=2 points; b =0 points; c=0 points
3 a= 0 points; b=2 points
4 a= 0 points; b=0 points; c=2 points
5 a=0 points; b= 2 points; c= 0 points
6 a= 2 points; b=2 point
C=2 points; d= 0 points
How Do You rate? Take a look and see where you need to do some work to improve your odds against Canada’s #1 Killer :
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