Eighty per cent of Canadians report at least one factor that puts them at risk of developing heart disease, says a new Heart and Stroke Foundation report.

And despite being warned of the dangers, few are doing anything to change their artery-clogging ways.

Prepared in collaboration with Health Canada and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, "The Growing Burden of Heart Disease and Stroke in Canada 2003" is the sixth in a series of biennial investigations into the costs of cardiovascular disease. 

Dr. Andrew Wielgosz, who edited the report, says the strongest message can be found right in the title.

"This is not something that's going to go away," Wielgosz told CTV News. Pointing first to Canada's aging population, the Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson says the growing burden will be felt in terms of more people being diagnosed, hospitalized and dying from heart disease.

But most alarming, Wielgosz says, is the "ticking time bomb" of growing trends among young people.

"Almost 40 per cent of teenage girls are physically inactive. The largest proportion of smokers is among young men and women 15 to 29 years old. Over 30 per cent of men and women in their 20s are overweight," Wielgosz said in a statement.

The report divides heart disease risk factors into two categories. Non-modifiable factors such as age and family history, and modifiable factors including smoking, high blood-pressure and obesity.

While 80 per cent of Canadians report at least one of the modifiable factors, 11 per cent have chosen three or more that could be avoided.

Wielgosz says there are powerful messages encouraging young people to make unhealthy lifestyle choices.

"There is a pressure for them to do that: The marketing that favours passive entertainment, that puts pressure on consumption of food that is not heart healthy -- high content of salt, fat and sugar," he notes.

According to the report, the best way to counteract those influences is to communicate the importance of prevention.

"Most of the resources are going toward treating the disease, not preventing it, as we should be," Weilgosz said. "If we can stop people from developing these risks, it will have a huge impact on our health system, now and in the future."

Despite public information campaigns designed to encourage healthy lifestyle choices, few are making changes. "It's easy to talk about it, but we feel that patients aren't listening," Weilgosz said.

For Heart and Stroke Ontario's Dr. Beth Abramson, the problem has dire consequences.

"Canadians need to know that if they don't get their risk factors under control... they will die of heart disease sooner than they think," Abramson told CTV News.

Many of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease -- smoking, lack of exercise, being overweight, high blood pressure -- are also common to many chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

"Cardiovascular diseases place a significant burden on Canadians and our health care system. We need to help Canadians reduce their risk," says Minister of Health Anne McLellan.

"The Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy that health ministers are developing with partners across the country is a positive step in addressing the risk factors that cause cardiovascular and other chronic diseases," McLellan said in a statement accompanying the release of the report.

Other highlights from the report:

• The incidence of risk factors differs among men and women. More women are physically inactive and report high blood pressure, while more men smoke and are less likely to eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.
• In terms of hospitalization for heart disease, more men than women are admitted and undergo related procedures.
• Social conditions can also influence risk factors. Mortality and risk factors decrease as income and education increase, suggesting the impact of limited food budgets, access to medication and poverty-related stress according to the report.
• The estimated total cost of cardiovascular diseases to the health sector of the Canadian economy accounted for 11.6 per cent of the total funds spent to treat all illnesses in 1988. Hospitalization costs amount to $4 billion annually, and, along with prescription costs, is expected to increase in proportion to the aging population.
• Cardiovascular diseases are the underlying cause of death for 1 in 3 Canadians. Overall, 5.7 per cent of Canadian adults, and nearly 25 per cent aged 70+, report heart problems. Across the country, British Columbians report the lowest prevalence of risk factors, and Newfoundlanders the highest.
• In 1999, cardiovascular disease accounted for almost 80,000 deaths in Canada, while strokes accounted for 15,400 deaths.