74% of farmers three times more likely to suffer heart attack or stroke

Supports needed to change health behaviour and improve cardiovascular health

A two-prong study — possibly the largest of its kind in the world — reveals that 74% of Irish farmers are three times as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than those in the population with fewer risk factors.

The findings of the first phase of the Farmers Have Hearts — Cardiovascular Health Programme, published in the autumn edition of Teagasc’s TResearch journal, emphasise the importance of supporting farmers to adopt and sustain health behaviour changes and improve their cardiovascular health.