Prevention

Prevention raises awareness of the risk factors for stroke, signs and symptoms of stroke and promotes healthy lifestyles.

For over a decade the Stroke Foundation of New Zealand has been working to raise awareness of the link between high blood pressure and stroke and provide people with support to manage their blood pressure to reduce stroke risk.

This work is crucial to support our Mission to prevent stroke, improve outcomes and save lives.

  • Communities living in healthy environments that support healthy lifestyles with access to the resources needed to live healthy lives (including economic, security, social support, and mental wellbeing)

  • Whānau are supported to : stay well, are supported to understand and reduce their risk of long term conditions, set and achieve personal health goals and have the information and resources needed to effectively manage their health

  • Whānau are kaitiaki of their own health

    Whānau know how and when to access support to manage their conditions

    Health professionals work in partnership with whanau to provide ongoing support and follow up

    The risk of stroke is reduced through treating and addressing key risk factors for stroke, including hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, atrial fibrillation (AF), poor diet, obesity, smoking and lack of physical exercise. The use of innovative strategies and technologies should be encouraged to detect and address physical and social-economic risk factors for stroke.

  • Secondary prevention must be considered for all people who have already had a stroke. Every person with stroke should be assessed and informed of their risk factors for a further stroke and possible strategies to modify identified risk factors.

    Interventions should be individualised and delivered using behavioural techniques (such as educational or motivational counselling)

    For Māori and Pacific people, involvement of whānau and culturally-appropriate service providers is advised.

    The risk factors include:

    • smoking cessation: nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion or nortriptyline therapy, nicotine receptor partial agonist therapy and/or behavioural therapy should be considered

    • An eating pattern that is low in fat (especially saturated fat) and sodium, and high in fibre from fruit and vegetables.

    • Regular physical activity

    • avoidance of excessive alcohol

The State of Salt in NZ

  • The Stroke Foundation of NZ has useful information on how to lower the risk of stroke

  • This report reveals the troubling state of new Zealand’s unhealthy food environment and calls for more policy action.

  • Read a blog from experts at the School of Population Health, The University of Auckland here

  • Read the policy statement from the Stroke Foundation ‘Bracing for the Stroke Tsunami’ here

 Resources