What it looks at
- Movement — weekly minutes, sitting time, and how effort feels
- What is on the plate: vegetables, salt, fish, red and processed meat, sugary drinks
- Nicotine and alcohol, second-hand smoke included
- Your numbers — blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, waist, and whether you know them
- Sleep, weight and sustained stress, all now scored components of cardiovascular health
A question from this assessment
How many minutes a week do you move briskly enough to raise your heart rate?
Every question is answered on the same 1–10 scale. Questions where a high answer is unfavourable are reversed before scoring.
Who it is for
Anyone with heart problems in the family, anyone who has not had their blood pressure checked in years, and anyone wanting to know which habit to change first.
How the result is reported
Common questions
Does this calculate my heart age or cardiac risk?
No — and it deliberately does not. Validated risk calculators need measured blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose. Any site that gives you a "heart age" from lifestyle questions alone is guessing.
I have chest tightness or palpitations. What should I do?
Speak to a doctor about those directly, and do not use this or any online test to interpret them. Sudden or severe chest pain is an emergency — call your local emergency number.
What is the single most useful thing I can do?
For most people: get your blood pressure measured. It is quick, widely available, and high blood pressure has no symptoms until it has done damage.
Scientific basis
The questions in this assessment are adapted from the domains these validated instruments and guidelines cover.
- AHA Life’s Essential 8
- INTERHEART modifiable risk factors
- ACC/AHA blood pressure guideline
- DASH-Sodium trial
- WHO physical activity guidelines
Sources
- Lloyd-Jones DM et al. Life’s Essential 8: updating the AHA construct of cardiovascular health. Circulation. 2022PMID 35766027
- Yusuf S et al. Modifiable risk factors for myocardial infarction in 52 countries (INTERHEART). Lancet. 2004PMID 15364185
- Whelton PK et al. 2017 ACC/AHA guideline for prevention, detection and management of high blood pressure. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018PMID 29146535
- Doll R et al. Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years’ observations on male British doctors. BMJ. 2004PMID 15213107
- Sacks FM et al. Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the DASH diet. N Engl J Med. 2001PMID 11136953
- Bull FC et al. WHO 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020PMID 33239350
- Wood AM et al. Risk thresholds for alcohol consumption: 599,912 drinkers. Lancet. 2018PMID 29676281
This is an educational self-assessment, not a medical test. It cannot diagnose anything. Read the medical disclaimer before you start.