RONALD C. Williams is living proof of why all of us need to keep a close eye on our health.

The 65-year-old warehouse manager at Phoenix Stores got a nasty surprise when he decided to take a blood pressure and cholesterol test last year.

Despite doing work that keeps him physically active, Mr. Williams was told he had worryingly high blood pressure and dangerously high cholesterol levels. These conditions are the two main controllable contributors to heart disease, the number one cause of death in Bermuda.

He took medical advice, changed his diet and used an anti-cholesterol drug and his readings are now steadily improving.

Mr. Williams was not alone. Close to half of the nearly 400 volunteers screened in free health checks offered at the Phoenix Stores between August 22 and November 22 last year had high blood pressure and a similar proportion had borderline to high cholesterol levels.

Mr. Williams believed that taking the test may end up lengthening his life by years. He took three tests, the first one around August last year. "My blood pressure on the first reading was something ridiculous, like 200/150," said Mr. Williams. "I couldn't believe I was up that high." High blood pressure is usually defined as blood pressure greater than 140/90.

"My colleagues couldn't believe it either," added Mr. Williams. "It hadn't affected me at work at all and I chuck 100 cases around and walk a mile at work every day.

"I had another test around three months ago and my blood pressure was still reasonably high. So I went to the doctor, who gave me the third degree.

"I've been trying to help myself. I've cut back on my eating and changed my diet. And I take half a tablet of something every day to keep down the cholesterol. In the last two or three weeks, there's been a dramatic change. Now I'm down to OK.

"If I hadn't taken the test I would never have known what was happening and the problems would just have built up and built up. I would say to anybody who's passing by when they're doing the tests, 'Go in and get it done'."

The survey was run by the Phoenix Stores in partnership with the Department of Health's community nurses.

Of those screened, 47 per cent had elevated blood pressure and of those, 40 per cent had levels consistent with mild hypertension. Seven per cent of those with elevated blood pressure were considered to have severe hypertension and were referred immediately to their doctors.

Almost 43 per cent of those screened had borderline or high cholesterol levels.

Government's chief nursing officer Gaylia Landry urged Bermuda residents to pay more attention to their health. "The results show that many of the people we screened are not taking very good care of themselves at all," said Ms Landry.

"We referred seven per cent of those with high blood pressure to their physicians straight away and recommended those who had 'normal' results should not get complacent - regular annual checks are necessary to ensure those who are well and healthy stay that way.

"High blood pressure is what we call a 'silent killer', meaning at first it has virtually no symptoms but the first sign that something is wrong can be deadly, for example, a heart attack, stroke or kidney problems."

Pauline Girling, senior marketing manager of Phoenix Stores Ltd., said: "These tests prove that our community should be monitoring their health more closely.

"We knew before we started the checks that heart disease is the number one cause of death in Bermuda and high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol are major contributory factors toward heart problems.

"By gathering these results, perhaps more people will take heed of the warnings and make sure they visit their physician for regular check-ups."

Further free health checks in the store within the next few months are planned.

The Department of Health's Community Nursing Programme carries out blood pressure and cholesterol screenings at the Victoria Street clinic on Wednesdays (2-4 p.m.), at the Somerset clinic on Mondays (9-11 a.m.), at the Warwick clinic on Mondays (2-4 p.m.) and in St. George's on Tuesdays (10 a.m.-noon).