Improving Access to Screening and Interventions for People at Risk of Heart Disease

With support from Pūtahi Manawa Centre of Research Excellence and the Heart Foundation NZ

Duration: 2025

Purpose:

This research project is focused on helping Māori communities by finding heart disease earlier — before it causes major problems including heart attacks or strokes. Heart disease often develops quietly over time, and many people don’t know they’re at risk until it’s too late. This project aims to improve how we can detect heart disease early, especially for Māori who are more likely to experience heart problems at a younger age. We’re developing a new strategy that brings together three important things: 1) strong community involvement and guidance, 2) better ways of identifying heart risk in primary health care, and 3) the use of advanced heart scans and blood tests to pick up signs of heart disease that standard checks might miss.