Abstract P086: Ideal Cardiovascular Health and Depressive Symptoms in the Adult Population

Abstract

Introduction: Ideal cardiovascular health is a new construct defined by the American Heart Association as part of its 2020 Impact Goal. The World Health Organization recognizes depression as 1 of its 10 most important global public health issues. We hypothesized that the simultaneous presence of ideal cardiovascular health behaviors and factors could reduce the risk of depressive symptoms. Methods: Participants were examined between 1987 and 1998 and followed for a median period of 6 years. Ideal cardiovascular health behaviors (never smoking, body mass index [BMI] <25 kg/m2, physical activity at goal, and appropriate diet consistent with a DASH-type eating plan) and factors (total cholesterol <200mg/dL, blood pressure <120/80 mm Hg, and fasting blood glucose <100 mg/dL) were measured at baseline. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in 1990, 1995 or 1999 and a score of 8 or greater was considered having depressive symptoms. Results: From a total of 5110 participants, 641 reported depressive symptoms. Participants meeting 3–4 or 5–7 ideal cardiovascular health components had a 28% (odds ratio, OR= 0.72, 95% confidence interval, 95% CI=0.59 – 0.87) and 36% (OR= 0.64, 95% CI=0.50 – 0.82) lower risk of depressive symptoms, respectively, compared with those meeting 0–2 components. Ideal behaviors were associated with lower risk of depressive symptoms: OR= 0.81, 95% CI=0.67–0.98 and OR= 0.72, 95% CI=0.57–0.91 in participants meeting 2 or 3–4 ideal behaviors, compared with those meeting 0–1. Individual or combination of ideal factors was not associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Ideal cardiovascular health, especially health behaviors, may be useful for predicting depressive symptoms.