A new program aimed at improving heart and lung health in Northern Tasmanians is gaining traction.
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It comes as national Royal Flying Doctor Service research is released, showing Australians in remote areas see doctors at half the rate, and specialists at one third the rate, of people who live in cities.
RFDS Tasmania’s Prime Mover Program, funded by Primary Health Tasmania, was launched about two months ago at George Town, Dorset, St Helens, Glamorgan Spring Bay and Flinders Island. It is an exercise and educational therapy program.
The program was designed for people who had chest pain, heart attack, re-vascularisation procedures, angioplasty, stents, heart surgery or other heart conditions, as well as supporting people living with long-term lung conditions.
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RFDS exercise physiologist Stephen Stone said the national figures, released on Wednesday, showed a need for rural and remote communities to have services like Prime Mover.
“As far as these national statistics are concerned, Tasmania rates number one and two in a lot of these risk factors,” he said.
“So if we look at things like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, physical inactivity, obesity levels, and alcohol consumption - we rate number one in pretty much all of those risk factors.
“It paints a pretty bleak picture and this is why we’re trying to provide services on the doorsteps of people in those areas.”
The 14-week program includes a pre and post assessment, with group educational and physical classes.
“We know from group environments, the research tells us that there is better adherence to the program by doing that because it brings in a social connection as well, and we know that’s really important with chronic disease management - having that social interaction is paramount.”
The national RFDS research analysed, for the first time, 95,723 aeromedical evacuations conducted by the service, of which 20,379 were for cardiovascular disease.
Researchers found an average of 112 patients per week, or 16 patients per day, were retrieved by the RFDS from rural areas and flown to major hospitals for heart treatment.
“It’s no surprise more country people die and are hospitalised with heart disease that can be prevented and managed,” national RFDS chief executive Dr Martin Laverty said.
The Prime Mover program is free and people can be referred from hospitals, GPs or a community nurse, Mr Stone said.
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