The city was targeted in a Heart Week focus two years ago for having the state’s worst cardiovascular disease but the latest Heart Foundation data does not feature Ballarat in the worst 25 local government areas for smoking, coronary heart disease mortality or heart admission rates.

Ballarat does, however, ranks 18^th in Victoria for obesity with more than a third of residents deemed obese, which is a major heart attack risk.

It is a different picture further afield in the region: Central Goldfields Shire, based about Maryborough, tops the state’s obesity rate (36.1 per cent of residents) and smoking rate (22.8).

The Shire also has the state’s fourth highest proportion of coronary heart disease mortality, followed by Ararat with the Pyrenees and Golden Plains also ranked in the state’s worst 10 mortality rates.

Pyrenees and Golden Plains are also inside the state’s top five most obese shires. 

Improving physical exercise is the focus for this year’s Heart Week campaign, starting on Sunday.

Going for a daily walk of at least 30 minutes can reduce a person’s risk of heart disease by 35 per cent, and help manage high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and weight, according to the Heart Foundation.

The foundation’s chief medical advisor Garry Jennings encouraged people to work with their general practitioner or other health professionals to better understand how to improve their health, and form a plan, in physical activity.

 “Most Australians don’t know that physical activity is the easiest thing you can do to improve your health, and that it doesn’t have to involve going to the gym or undertaking intensive exercise,” Professor Jennings said. 

“It’s great if you’re doing the recommended 150 minutes per week. But people shouldn’t be put off if they are just starting, and for now they find that too much. Any physical activity is better than none at all.” 

Heart Week coincides with the end of the Premier’s Active April challenge, calling on Victorians to commit to 30 minutes’ exercise each day in a bid to set more active routine.

Heart Week is also a reminder for to get a blood pressure check. High blood pressure can have a lack of symptoms, but key contributors are lifestyle factors, like exercise, diet and salt intake.