The Baker IDI research institute found three-quarters of the more than 500 heart-attack survivors surveyed are failing to make appropriate lifestyle changes after their initial heart attack.
The research claims the number of Australians dying from repeat heart attacks is expected to rise by 40 per cent.
Chrissie Charles knows the difficulty of making necessary lifestyle changes after experiencing her first heart attack.
There was a time when she was regularly fainting and enduring stabbing chest pains due to a blocked artery.
"I got very depressed," she said.
"I didn't know what was going wrong with my body and I get very upset now when I think about it."
A stent relieved the symptoms, but attending a cardiac rehabilitation clinic taught Chrissie a range of habits which transformed her health.
"It opened my eyes to see where I was going wrong in a lot of places."
Dr Mary Belfrage said the big changes relate to nutrition, exercise and smoking.
She said Aboriginal patients were 40 per cent less likely to receive appropriate cardiovascular care after a heart attack.
But potentially life-saving help and advice is available.
"The evidence is that people who do formal cardiac rehabilitation have fewer subsequent heart attacks and live longer," Dr Belfrage said.
Heart specialist Dr Robert Grenfell said the solutions already exist.
He is calling for federal funding for more cardiac rehabilitation clinics, which he said will provide a skill-base and launching pad for a healthy lifestyle.
"That's the starting point for the rest of your life. Once you've had a heart attack you need to focus on all those changes to stop you from having another one."
The Baker Institute study says in the broader community 10 percent of heart attack survivors continue to smoke.
Sixty-percent ignore dietary advice and 40 percent ignore their doctor's instructions.
Dr Grenfell says cultural diversity should also be accommodated as immigrants, with traditional diets high in saturated fats and high smoking rates, are in high-risk categories.
Meanwhile, Chrissie Charles is now determined to be part of the minority and stick to the new healthy habits.
"I felt like a new person again - I was just happy and I'm full of life, even now," says Ms Charles.
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