Estimated impact of achieving optimal cardiovascular health among us adults on cardiovascular disease events

Joshua D. Bundy*, Zhengbao Zhu, Hongyan Ning, Victor W. Zhong, Amanda E. Paluch, John T. Wilkins, Donald M Lloyd-Jones, Paul K. Whelton, Jiang He, Norrina B. Allen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Better cardiovascular health (CVH) scores are associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, estimates of the potential population-level impact of improving CVH on US CVD event rates are not currently available. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011 to 2016 (n=11 696), we estimated the proportions of US adults in CVH groups. Levels of 7 American Heart Association CVH metrics were scored as ideal (2 points), intermediate (1 point), or poor (0 points), and summed to define overall CVH (low, 0– 8 points; moderate, 9–11 points; or high, 12–14 points). Using individual-level data from 7 US community-based cohort studies (n=30 447), we estimated annual incidence rates of major CVD events by levels of CVH. Using the combined data sources, we estimated population attributable fractions of CVD and the number of CVD events that could be prevented annually if all US adults achieved high CVH. High CVH was identified in 7.3% (95% CI, 6.3%– 8.3%) of US adults. We estimated that 70.0% (95% CI, 56.5%–79.9%) of CVD events were attributable to low and moderate CVH. If all US adults attained high CVH, we estimated that 2.0 (95% CI, 1.6– 2.3) million CVD events could be prevented annually. If all US adults with low CVH attained moderate CVH, we estimated that 1.2 (95% CI, 1.0–1.4) million CVD events could be prevented annually. CONCLUSIONS: The potential benefits of achieving high CVH in all US adults are considerable, and even a partial improvement in CVH scores would be highly beneficial.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere019681
JournalJournal of the American Heart Association
Volume10
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Funding

The Lifetime Risk Pooling Project was supported in its inception by the National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R21HL085375) and is currently supported by funds from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr Bundy was supported by the National Institutes of Health/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development career development grant (K12HD043451). Dr Wilkins is supported by the National Institutes of Health/ National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (K23HL136601 and R01HL146844). Drs Whelton and He were supported by a Center for Biomedical Research Excellence grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (P20GM109036).

Keywords

  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Epidemiology
  • Health status disparities
  • Prevention
  • Risk factors

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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