We've mined the data to find the best and worst habits of each shire in our region.

Eurobodalla

Eurobodalla Shire residents are less likely to go to hospital for a heart condition, but more more likely to be killed by one than the national average, according to a report form the Heart Foundation.

The mortality rate for heart disease in the shire is 77 per 100,000 people, compared to a national average of 68 per 100,000.

Hospital admissions are at 47 per 10,000 people, compared to a national average of 48 per 10,000 people.

Eurobodalla Shire residents are almost twice as likely to be over 65, compared to the national average, according to the Heart Foundation report.

29.4 per cent of residents are over 65, compared with a national average of 14.2 per cent.

Age may not necessarily equate to wisdom, with 23 per cent of the regions population smoking, compared to a national average of 16 per cent.

For other heart disease risk factors, such as obesity, insufficient exercise and high cholesterol, the shire is within two per cent of the national average, although high blood pressure is five per cent less common.

Bega

A quarter of the people living in Bega Valley are over 65, compared to a 15 per cent national average. Residents are less likely to have an internet connection and more likely to have dropped out of school before completing year 10.

Bega Valley residents take some risks with their heart health - they are more likely to smoke, have high cholesterol, be obese and not get enough exercise than the national average - but are less likely to be admitted to hospital for a heart condition. The mortality rate for heart disease in the Bega Valley is the same as the national average (68 per 100,000 persons).

Maybe the secret is the laid back lifestyle - just 14 per cent of Bega Valley residents have high blood pressure, while the national average is 23 per cent.

Wingecarribee

Wingecarribee residents can give themselves a pat on the back for having one of the lowest rates of hospital admissions for heart disease in the country - and they follow it up with a lower-than-average heart disease mortality rate.

Hospital admissions are 34 per 10,000 people, compared to a national average of 48 per 10,000, while mortality is 63 per 100,000 people compared to 68 per 100,000.

Heart disease risk factors among shire residents are similar to the national average, with people living in Wingecarribee two per cent more likely to smoke and three per cent more likely to be obese.

The big win for Wigecarribee is low blood pressure - 18 per cent of residents are estimated to have high blood pressure, compared to a national average of 23 per cent.

Kiama

Kiama has one of the lowest rates of hospital admissions for heart disease in the country, according to the Heart Foundation.

It also has an exceptionally low mortality rate.

The reasons for this, however, are unclear.

The same Heart Foundation report says Kiama residents are older than the national average, slightly more likely to have reached year 10 at school, and is one of the nations least disadvantaged areas, ranking 503 of 544 Local Government Areas, with 544 being the most advantaged and 1 the most disadvantaged.

However, other risk factors for heart disease, including smoking, obesity and cholesterol level, align almost exactly with the national average.

Kiama residents are two per cent more likely to get enough exercise (64 per cent do not get enough exercise compared to the national average of 66 per cent) and seven per cent less likely to have high blood pressure.

However, the Heart Foundation described these differences as "not significant", leaving the "significantly low" heart disease hospital admission rate of 34 per 10,000 people (national average: 48 per 10,000 people) and mortality rate of 54 per 100,000 people (national average: 68 per 100,000 people) unexplained.

Shoalhaven

Shoalhaven residents are less likely to go to hospital for a heart condition, but more likely to die of one, according to the Heart Foundation.

The number of heart related hospital admissions is lower than the national average (47 per 10,000 people compared to 48 per 10,000 people) but deaths are 72 per 100,000 people, compared to a national average of 68 deaths per 100,000.

The most common risk factors were not exercising enough, obesity and high cholesterol.

While cholesterol levels in the region were on par with the national average, and high blood pressure was slightly less common, Shoalhaven residents are almost 8 per cent more likely to be obese than the "average Australian" , five per cent more likely to smoke and three per cent more likely to not exercise enough.

According to the same report, the Shoalhaven is old and less educated. It said 25 per cent of residents are over 65, compared to a national average of 15 per cent, and 16.3 per cent left school at year 9 or below, compared to a national average of 11.3 per cent.