Shane Warne’s legacy empowers men to get health checks
A heart campaign offering free health checks as part of Shane Warne’s legacy is reaching thousands of men at risk of heart disease.
The cricket legend died suddenly in Thailand at the age of 52 following a heart attack in March 2022.
Now, the Shane Warne Legacy Heart Test campaign, set up in his honour, offers free heart health checks at sports events, and over 75% of participants are men.
This is significantly higher than the Medicare-funded heart health checks delivered through GPs since 2019, with around half of those tested being male.
Making a difference to millions of Australians
The initial aim of the Shane Warne Legacy was to deliver 23,000 free heart checks by the end of 2023. This goal was exceeded, with the campaign reaching over 33,000 people thanks to the combination of the sports-focused testing, extensive promotional activity, and a network of SiSU Health self-check machines installed in over 300 Priceline pharmacies.
In 2024, the program will go national, aiming to reach half a million people through community events and permanent locations. In the long term, the hope is to ensure every Australian over 40 has access to a heart health check.
Improving health and saving lives
The initial campaign has already delivered some impressive success stories. One woman reported that her husband took a test in Priceline after seeing the initiative advertised at the cricket and online.
She said: “He is super fit at 74 but over the last week or so had experienced a bit of chest pain. The test suggested he contact his doctor. The next day he was seen by our doctor and then went straight to the hospital. Four hours later he had an angiogram followed by a stent being inserted. According to the heart doctor, he had just been saved from suffering a massive heart attack”.
Biggest killer of Australian men
Heart disease is the number 1 killer of Australian men, with males accounting for 4 in 5 heart deaths under the age of 65.
Since 2019, people over 45 (and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People over 30) have been able to ask their GP for a free heart health check (MBS item 699).
In 2022-2023, more than 170,000 people had Medicare-funded heart health checks, 48% of whom were male.
Glen Poole, the CEO of the Australian Men’s Health Forum (AMHF), said:
“There is an unhelpful gender stereotype that men are reluctant to get checked. In reality, half of the people getting heart health checks are men, and when we reach out and offer checks in male-friendly settings, thousands of men are jumping at the opportunity.
“We know men are at significantly higher risk of dying prematurely from heart disease, so we need to see more innovative campaigns like the Shane Warne heart tests, offering free heart checks in male-friendly settings."
Visit the Shane Warne Legacy website
Read: Why sports fan health checks are working for men
Check out the Know Your Man Facts toolkit on Heart Health
Find out what else is going on for Men's Health Week 2024