More than 9,000 free heart and diabetes checks were conducted during AFL Gather Round, with thousands of footy supporters taking a few minutes out of their day to kick vital health goals.
A total of 9,521 health checks were conducted across the four festival sites at Adelaide Oval, Elder Park, Norwood Oval and Mount Barker – including 7,375 Shane Warne Legacy heart checks, 1,073 blood sugar checks and 1,073 cholesterol checks.
The free heart and diabetes checks were funded by the Malinauskas Labor Government in collaboration with SiSU Health, Shane Warne Legacy and Flinders University.
Gather Round attendees were provided complimentary screenings for vital cardiovascular and metabolic health risk indicators, including blood pressure, heart rate, heart age, BMI, diabetes risk, blood sugar levels and cholesterol and triglycerides.
The primary goal of the screening initiative was to improve health outcomes and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes through earlier treatment and lifestyle changes.
The Adelaide Oval doubleheader on Saturday, April 6 drew massive crowds, setting a daily record for Shane Warne Legacy Heart Checks with an impressive 2,360 screenings conducted in a single day.
Participant feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing surprise at the quick and easy process and gratitude for access to important health information.
The campaign has seen the highest customer satisfaction (Net Promoter Score +84) ever recorded by SiSU Health across any activation of its health stations, averaging 9.4/10 and demonstrating extraordinarily positive support by the participating public.
At Gather Round, many couples and families have come together for the Shane Warne Legacy Heart Checks, sparking crucial conversations about health and wellbeing.
Male participation sits at 60 per cent of all checks undertaken, showing that the message resonates with this hard-to-reach cohort in the population where they account for 47 per cent of all GP visits in South Australia (2022/23).
The health screening initiative was appreciated by locals and visitors to the state with 71 per cent of participants being from South Australia and 21 per cent from those visiting from Victoria.
Participants were able to see their results from the health checks immediately on the SiSU Health mobile app which will now serve as a valuable tool to raise awareness about susceptibility to cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes through earlier treatment and lifestyle changes.
For individuals with elevated blood pressure or a high BMI, the app will now provide prompts to consult with their GP.
Quotes
Attributable to Chris Picton
Community-based screenings like this one are vitally important to help raise awareness to improve the overall health of our population and ease the burden on our health system.
It has been great to see such a strong response from the public.
Thousands of people now have a greater understanding of their risks of heart-related issues and can take steps to improve their health.
Attributable to Jackson Warne
What stands out is the overwhelming gratitude from the public.
Nearly every person I met over the week said thank you for making this available, they were truly grateful.
Attributable to Helen Nolan, Chief Executive, Shane Warne Legacy
One lady dragged her husband down to have a Shane Warne Legacy health check despite his reluctance. He never visits a doctor she said.
She couldn’t thank us enough for the accessibility emphasising that he would not have done it otherwise. We’ve witnessed many people who heard about these on TV or radio, come down for their check, discovering they had severe blood pressure and in turn, they are now off to book an appointment with their GP.
Thank you to Premier Peter Malinauskas and the South Australian Government for helping us to continue to provide these checks free of charge for Gather Round.
