LONDON, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Britain's health authorities on Tuesday called on adults to take a free online heart age test in a bid to reduce preventable heart-related risks.
The test, offered by Public Health England (PHE), an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care, asks a number of physical and lifestyle questions before providing an immediate assessment of people's heart age.
If someone's heart age is higher than their actual age, they are at an increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke, the PHE said in an article published on the official website of the British government.
After the test, people will be given suggestions on how to reduce their heart age such as losing weight and quitting smoking or drinking.
The test, which can be found on www.nhs.uk, has been done over 1.9 million times.
Results show that about 78 percent of people have a heart age higher than their actual age -- with 34 percent having a heart age five years older and 14 percent at least 10 years over their actual age, said the PHE.
A quarter of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD) happen in people under the age of 75, with 80 percent of these preventable if people led a healthier life.
"Millions are at risk of CVD but don't know it, putting themselves at real risk of suffering ill health or dying younger," Jamie Waterall, national lead for CVD at the PHE, was quoted by Sky News as saying.
"Knowing your heart age is a simple way of finding out whether you're at risk of a heart attack or stroke. By making important lifestyle changes you can reduce your risk before it's too late," Waterall said.
