Ideal Cardiovascular Health Factors Research Articles

Cardiovascular Health in Black and Latino Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

The incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) among U.S. adults has been rising annually, with a higher incidence rate in Black and Hispanic adults than in Whites. The American Heart Association (AHA) has defined cardiovascular health according to the achievement of seven health behaviors (smoking, body mass index [BMI], physical activity, diet) and health factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose). Optimal cardiovascular health has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and awareness of this risk may influence healthy behaviors. This study aimed to assess cardiovascular health in a sample of Black and Hispanic adults (age: 18-40 years) with T2DM and explore the barriers and facilitators to diabetes self-management and cardiovascular health. This was an explanatory sequential mixed-method design. The study staff recruited adults with T2DM for the quantitative data followed by qualitative interviews with a subsample of participants using maximum variation sampling. The seven indices of cardiovascular health as defined by the AHA's "Life's Simple 7" were assessed: health behaviors (smoking, BMI, physical activity, diet) and health factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure, A1C). Qualitative interviews were conducted to explore their results as well as the effects of the pandemic on diabetes self-management. Qualitative and quantitative data were integrated into the final analysis phase. The majority of the sample was female, with 63% identifying as Black and 47% as Hispanic. The factor with the lowest achievement of ideal levels was BMI, followed by a healthy diet. Less than half achieved ideal levels of blood pressure or physical activity. Themes that emerged from the qualitative data included the impact of social support, the effects of the pandemic on their lives, and educating themselves about T2DM. Achievement of ideal cardiovascular health factors varied, but the achievement of several health factors may be interrelated. Intervening on even one factor while providing social support may improve other areas of cardiovascular health in this population.

Associations of Life's Simple 7 with cerebral white matter hyperintensities and microstructural integrity: UK Biobank cohort study.

The American Heart Association Life's Simple 7 (LS7) metric was used to define optimal cardiovascular and brain health, but the associations with macrostructural hyperintensities and microstructural white matter damage are unclear. The objective was to determine the association of LS7 ideal cardiovascular health factors with macrostructural and microstructural integrity. A total of 37,140 participants with available LS7 and imaging data from UK Biobank were included in this study. Linear associations were implemented to examine the associations of LS7 score and subscores with white matter hyperintensity load (WMH) (WMH volume normalized by total white matter volume and logit-transformed) and diffusion imaging indices (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean diffusivity, orientation dispersion index [OD], intracellular volume fraction, isotropic volume fraction [ISOVF]). In individuals (mean age 54.76 years; 19,697 females, 52.4%), higher LS7 score and subscores were strongly associated with lower WMH and microstructural white matter injury, including OD, ISOVF, FA. Both interaction analyses and stratified analyses of LS7 score and subscores with age and sex showed a strong association with microstructural damage markers, with remarkable age and sex differences. The association of OD was pronounced in females and populations younger than 50 years and FA, mean diffusivity and ISOVF were pronounced in males and populations older than 50 years. These findings suggest that healthier LS7 profiles are associated with better profiles of both macrostructural and microstructural markers of brain health, and indicate that ideal cardiovascular health is associated with improved brain health.

Associations between cumulative social risk, psychosocial risk, and ideal cardiovascular health: Insights from the HeartSCORE study

BackgroundLimited studies have assessed the effects of psychosocial risk factors on achievement of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH). MethodsUsing the Heart Strategies Concentrating on Risk Evaluation (HeartSCORE) cohort, we examined the cross-sectional associations of cumulative social risk (CSR) and three psychosocial factors (depression, stress, perceived discrimination) with ideal CVH. CSR was calculated by assigning one point for each of: low family income, low education level, minority race (Black), and single-living status. Ideal CVH was calculated by assigning one point for ideal levels of each factor in American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7. Ideal CVH was dichotomized into fewer versus higher by combining participants achieving <3 versus ≥3 factors. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of having fewer ideal CVH factors. Psychosocial factors were assessed as mediators of the association between CSR and ideal CVH. ResultsWe included 2000 participants (mean age 59.1 [7.5] years, 34.6% male, 42.7% Black, and 29.1% with low income), among whom 60.6% had <3 ideal CVH factors. The odds of having fewer ideal CVH factors increased significantly with increasing CSR scores from 1 to 2, to ≥3 compared to individuals with CSR score of zero, after adjusting for age and sex (OR [95% CIs]: 1.77 [1.41 - 2.22]; 2.09 [1.62 - 2.69] 2.67 [1.97 - 3.62], respectively). Taking the components of ideal CVH separately, higher CSR was directly associated with odds of being in ‘non-ideal’ category for six of the seven factors, but was inversely associated with probability of being in ‘non-ideal’ category for cholesterol. The association was modestly attenuated after adjusting for depression, stress, and perceived discrimination (corresponding OR [95% CI]: 1.69 [1.34 - 2.12], 1.96 [1.51 - 2.55], 2.34 [1.71 - 3.20]). The psychosocial factors appeared to mediate between 10% and 20% of relationship between CSR and ideal CVH. ConclusionsIncreased CSR was associated with lower probability of achieving ideal CVH factors. A modest amount of the effect of CSR on ideal CVH appeared to be mediated by depression, stress and perceived discrimination. Public health strategies aimed at improving ideal cardiovascular health may benefit from including interventions targeting social and psychosocial risk factors.

Abstract 9205: Cardiovascular Health Metrics in Patients Hospitalized With an Acute Coronary Syndrome

Background: The Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) is a guiding metric for primordial/primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the prevalence and distribution of LS7 metrics in patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) at the time of hospitalization. Methods: Data were obtained from patients hospitalized for an ACS at six hospitals in Central Massachusetts and Georgia (2011-2013). The LS7 assessed patient’s smoking, diet, and physical activity, based on self-reported measures, while patient’s body mass index, blood pressure, and serum cholesterol and glucose levels were abstracted from medical records. All items were operationalized into three categories: poor (0), intermediate (1), or ideal (2). A total summary cardiovascular health (CVH) score (0-14) was obtained and categorized into tertiles (0-5, 6-7, and 8-14). Results: The average age of study participants (n=1,110) was 59.6 years and 35% were women. CVH scores ranged from 0-12 (mean=6.2). Patients with better CVH scores were older, White, had lower burden of comorbidities, had less symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress, better quality of life, more social support, and greater healthcare activation. One-third of patients had only one ideal CVH measure, less than 1% had five ideal measures, and no participant had more than five ideal CVH factors. Conclusions: Our results indicate that ACS patients have low CVH. Sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics differed across CVH groups. These findings highlight potential areas for educational and therapeutic interventions to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and promote CVH in adult men and women.

Are Health Behaviors and Self-Rated Health Related to Cardiovascular Health and Functional Performance? Results from the Lookup 7+ Cross-Sectional Survey among Persons Aged 65+.

Cardiovascular health (CVH) and physical performance (PP) are key factors of successful ageing. This study investigated whether self-reported CVH behaviours and self-rated health (SRH) are related to ideal CVH and PP. Cross-sectional survey. Public places in Italy (e.g. exhibitions, malls, health promotion campaigns), outside of conventional healthcare settings. 1415 community-living persons aged 65+ years (mean age 72.2 ± 5.4; 58.4% female). Three ideal CVH behaviors [regular physical activity (PA), healthy diet, no smoking] and SRH (1 excellent - 4 poor) were assessed through a brief questionnaire. Four ideal CVH factors [iBMI ≤ 25 kg/m2, untreated random total blood cholesterol ≤200 mg/dl, absence of diabetes (untreated random blood glucose ≤200 mg/dl), untreated blood pressure (iBP) <140/90mmHg] and two ideal PP factors [grip strength (iGrip), 5-repetition chair-stand test <10 seconds (iStand)] were measured. Adjusted for age and gender, regular PA was positively related to CVH factor score (β = 0.1; p = < .001), iBMI (OR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.5-2.3), iBP (OR = 1.3; 95% CI = 1.1-1.6) and iStand (OR = 1.6; 95% CI = 1.3-2.1). Healthy diet was positively related to CVH factor score (β = 0.1; p = < .05) and iGrip (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1-1.8). Participants rating SRH as "good" (OR = 2.0; 95% CI = 1.1-3.9) and "not so good" (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.2-4.5) met iDiabetes more often than those with poor SRH. Moreover, iStand (OR = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.6-6.6) and iGrip (OR = 4.2; 95% = CI 2.0-8.8) were more prevalent among participants with excellent SRH compared with those with poor SRH. Physical activity, diet and self-rated health may provide quick and easy-to-assess metrics to identify persons aged 65+ years at risk of cardiovascular events and functional impairment, who could particularly benefit from engaging in health promotion programs.

Association between ideal cardiovascular health and markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease.

Ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) was proposed by the American Heart Association to promote population health. We aimed to characterize the association between ideal CVH and markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). We hypothesized that ideal CVH is associated with several markers of subclinical CVD. We used data from the Heart Strategies Concentrating on Risk Evaluation (Heart SCORE) study. We assigned 1 for each of the ideal CVH factors met. Endothelial function, expressed as Framingham reactive hyperemia index (fRHI), was measured using the EndoPAT device. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) were quantified using electron beam computed tomography and carotid ultrasonography, respectively. A total of 1933 participants (mean [SD] age: 59 [7.5] years, 34% male, 44% black) were included. The mean number of ideal CVH factors met was 2.3 ± 1.3, with blacks having significantly lower score compared to whites (2.0 ± 1.2 vs 2.5 ± 1.4, respectively; P < 0.001). Seven hundred and eighty-nine participants (41%) achieved ≥3 ideal CVH factors. Participants with ≥3 ideal CVH factors (compared to those with <3 factors) had an average of 107 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 50-165) Agatston units lower CAC, 0.04 (0.01-0.06) mm lower CIMT, and 0.07 (0.02-0.12) units higher fRHI, after adjusting for age, sex, race, income, education, and marital status. Participants with ≥3 ideal CVH factors had 50% lower odds (95% CI: 28%-66%) of having CAC >100 Agatston units. In a community-based study with low prevalence of ideal CVH, even achieving three or more ideal CVH factors were associated with lower burden of subclinical CVD, indicating the utility of this construct for disease prevention.

The association of employment status with ideal cardiovascular health factors and behaviors among Hispanic/Latino adults: Findings from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).

BackgroundThe American Heart Association’s 2020 Impact Goals propose to improve cardiovascular health (CVH) and reduce deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke in the US. Targeted health promotion efforts in workplaces and communities are needed to achieve these population-level changes. The present study examined the sex-specific cross-sectional associations between employment status and ideal CVH among Hispanics/Latinos, and whether these associations were modified by age (i.e., younger adults [aged 18–44] compared to middle-aged and older adults [aged 45–74]).MethodsThis study included 4,797 males and 7,043 females (aged 18–74) from the Hispanic Community Health Study / Study of Latinos. Employment status was categorized as employed full-time (FT), employed part-time (PT), employed (FT or PT) and homemakers, homemakers only, and unemployed. CVH metrics, operationalized as ‘ideal’ versus ‘less than ideal,’ included health factors (i.e., blood pressure, cholesterol, and fasting glucose) and health behaviors (i.e., body mass index, smoking, physical activity [PA], and diet). A total CVH score was derived based on the seven CVH metrics, and dichotomized as ideal vs. less than ideal (score of 11–14 vs. 0–10). Survey-based generalized linear regression models with Gaussian binomial distribution were used to estimate adjusted prevalence differences (APDs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between employment status (with employed FT as referent) and ideal CVH (total score and each metric), adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics. Effect modification by age was examined.ResultsAmong males, compared to their employed FT counterparts, those who were employed PT had a higher prevalence of ideal CVH score (APD = 6.8, 95% CI = 1.7, 11.8), ideal BMI (APD = 8.5, 95% CI = 3.0, 14.0), and ideal PA (APD = 4.8, 95% CI = 0.9, 8.7). Age modified the associations of employment type with ideal CVH score and ideal BMI, i.e., younger males who were employed PT had a higher prevalence of ideal CVH score and ideal BMI. Among females, employment status was not associated with ideal CVH score. Compared to females employed FT, females who were homemakers had a lower prevalence of ideal (non-) smoking (APD = -4.7, 95% CI = -8.5, -1.0) and ideal PA (APD = -7.9, 95% CI = -12.7, -3.0), and females who were unemployed had a lower prevalence of ideal PA (APD = -10.4, 95% CI = -16.7, -4.1). Age modified the associations of employment type with ideal fasting glucose and ideal PA, i.e., middle-aged and older females who were homemakers or unemployed had a lower prevalence of ideal fasting glucose and ideal PA.ConclusionsHispanic/Latino males who were employed PT had the most favorable CVH profiles but these associations were mostly driven by better CVH (total score and metrics) among younger males. Hispanic/Latino females who were homemakers or unemployed had lower rates of ideal CVH metrics.

Ideal Cardiovascular Health and Biomarkers of Subclinical Brain Aging: The Northern Manhattan Study.

BackgroundThe American Heart Association Life's Simple 7 metric defines ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) on 7 factors: smoking, diet, physical activity, body mass index, blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. This metric has been used to define optimal brain health, but data relative to subclinical imaging biomarkers of brain aging are lacking. This study examines the association between Life's Simple 7 with white matter hyperintensity volume, silent brain infarcts, and cerebral volume.Methods and ResultsA subsample of stroke‐free participants from the population‐based Northern Manhattan Study underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging an average of 7 years after baseline. Linear and logistic regression models were constructed to estimate associations between the number of ideal CVH metrics achieved with imaging biomarkers of brain aging, adjusting for sociodemographics. Among 1031 participants (mean age at magnetic resonance imaging=72±8, 40% men, 19% black, 16% white, and 65% Hispanic), no one had ideal status in all 7 factors, 1% had ideal status in 6 factors, 18% in 4 to 5 factors, 30% in 3 factors, 33% in 2 factors, and 18% in 0 to 1 factors. The number of ideal CVH factors achieved was inversely associated with white matter hyperintensity volume (beta per factor=−0.047; P=0.04) and silent brain infarct (odds ratio per factor=0.84; 95% confidence interval=0.72–0.97) and positively associated with cerebral volume (beta per factor=0.300; P=0.002).ConclusionsAn increasing ideal CVH score was associated with less white matter hyperintensity volume and silent brain infarcts and greater cerebral volumes, supporting the Life's Simple 7 metric as a useful measure to quantify optimal brain health. Monitoring and promoting achievement of Life's Simple 7 ideal CVH factors may improve subclinical and clinical brain health outcomes.

Prevalence of Ideal Cardiovascular Health Metrics in the Million Veteran Program

No data exist on the prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health metrics in a national sample of U.S. veterans. We assessed the prevalence of ideal Life's Simple Seven (LSS) metrics in a cross-sectional study of 554,855 U.S. veterans enrolled in the Million Veteran Program (MVP) from 2011 to 2017. We used the American Heart Association's established criteria to categorize each LSS metric as either poor, intermediate, or ideal for a veteran at time of MVP enrollment. Information on adiposity/body mass index, smoking status, diet, and physical activity was obtained from self-reported survey data, and clinical measurements for total cholesterol, blood pressure, and plasma glucose were obtained from electronic health records. Complete data on all LSS health factors were available for 201,745 veterans. The prevalence of having 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 ideal cardiovascular health metrics was 29.2%, 34.6%, 22.6%, 10.0%, 3.0%, 0.6%, <0.1%, and 0%, respectively. The frequency of ideal body mass index, physical activity, smoking status, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and plasma glucose was 19.4%, 3.8%, 27.0%, 21.8%, 17.8%, and 34.5%, respectively, in our study population. Among the 7 metrics, MVP participants were least likely to achieve ideal diet (0.4%), particularly the recommendation for fruit and vegetable (at least 4.5 cups/day) intake. Our data show an extremely low prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health factors among veterans in the MVP, especially for diet and physical activity. These findings underscore the need to improve adherence to modifiable lifestyle factors that could result in subsequent reduction in cardiovascular disease burden among veterans.

Cardiovascular health status among Australian adults.

BackgroundThe American Heart Association (AHA) committee recently set a guideline to define and monitor the cardiovascular health status. This study aimed to estimate cardiovascular health status among Australian adults using the guideline.MethodsWe used data from a nationally representative sample of 7499 adults (age ≥18 years) from 2011 to 2012 Australian Health Survey. We applied the modified AHA’s definition to estimate the ideal proportions of the seven metrics and the overall cardiovascular health status.ResultsIdeal status was most prevalent for fasting plasma glucose (83.6%) and least observed for dietary pattern (4.8%). The estimated percentage of ideal cardiovascular health was 0.15% in Australian adults. An estimated 0.52% of Australian adults had all four ideal cardiovascular health factors, and 16.38% had all four ideal cardiovascular health behaviors. There exist some age and sex variations for the ideal status of individual metric and the overall cardiovascular health.ConclusionThe percentage of ideal cardiovascular health in Australian adults is extremely low. Public health policies should be implemented to improve the population-wide cardiovascular health status in Australia.

Low Prevalence of AHA-Defined Ideal Cardiovascular Health Factors: A Study of Urban Indian Men and Women.

Coronary heart disease risk factors are widely prevalent among urban subjects in India but the prevalence of good cardiovascular health is unknown. This multisite study sought to determine the prevalence of American Heart Association-defined ideal cardiovascular health factors. The study was performed in 11 cities using cluster sampling. Middle-class urban subjects ages 20 to75 years (N= 6,198; men: 3,426; women: 2,772, response: 62%) were evaluated for socioeconomic, biophysical, and biochemical factors. Prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health using 7-factor American Heart Association metric (nonsmoking, moderate or greater physical activity, low-fat, high-fruit/vegetable diet, body mass index <25 kg/m2, untreated blood pressure <120/<80 mm Hg, cholesterol <200 mg/dl, and fasting glucose <100 mg/dl) was determined. Descriptive statistics are reported. Age-adjusted prevalences of ideal health factors in men and women, respectively, were non-tobacco use in 72.0% and 89.6%, moderate physical activity in 20.1% and 20.6%, healthy diet in 10.6% and 10.6%, normal body mass index in 57.7% and 52.8%, normotension in 17.1% and 22.4%, normocholesterolemia in 72.4% and 72.7%, and normoglycemia in 57.4% and 59.5%. Prevalence of all the 7 health factors was in <1.0% in both men and women, any 6 in 3.4% and 3.5%, any 5 in 12.7% and 17.8%, any 4 in 36.9% and 44.7%, any 3 in 67.2% and 70.8%, any 2 in 89.1% and 92.4%, and 1 in 98.2% and 99.1%. Cardiovascular health was poor (1 to 3 factors) in 62.4% of men and 54.9% of women, average (4 to 5 factors) in 34.1% and 41.5%, and good (≥6 factors) in 3.5% and 3.6%. With increasing age, the behavioral health factors (tobacco use, physical activity, healthy diet) did not change, whereas others declined (ptrend < 0.01). Clustering of average and good health factors also declined with age (ptrend < 0.01). There were no socioeconomic status-related differences in prevalence of good cardiovascular health. Good cardiovascular health factors-physical activity, healthy diet, and desirable body mass index, blood pressure, and glucose levels-are low in urban Asian Indians.

Household Food Insecurity and Ideal Cardiovascular Health Factors in US Adults

Household Food Insecurity and Ideal Cardiovascular Health Factors in US Adults

Abstract P003: Application of a Lifestyle-based Score to Predict Cardiovascular Health in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study

Introduction: The Healthy Heart Score (HHS) is a lifestyle-based risk prediction tool developed to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in young and middle-aged adults. We evaluated the performance of the HHS to predict cardiovascular health (CVH). Methods: We applied the HHS to 3288 white and black adults ages 18-30 years at the CARDIA study baseline exam in 1985-6. The HHS includes age, smoking status, body mass index, alcohol intake (g/d), exercise (hours/week) and a diet score composed of self-reported daily intake of cereal fiber, fruits/vegetables, nuts, sugar-sweetened beverages, and red/processed meats. We tested the utility of the HHS to predict having all ideal CVH factors at the year 25 exam when participants were ages 43-55 years, defined as the simultaneous presence of unmedicated blood pressure &lt;120/80 mmHg, total cholesterol&lt;200 mg/dl, fasting glucose&lt;100 mg/dl and absence of diabetes or CVD. We assessed the HHS in the total population, in race and sex-specific groups, and in those with and without clinical CVD risk factors (RFs) at baseline. We first applied original HHS coefficients, then cohort specific coefficients. We assessed model discrimination in comparison to age-only models with Harrell’s C-statistic and model calibration with Hosmer-Lemeshow’s chi-square. Results: Mean (SD) age at baseline was 25.1 (3.6) years; 57% were female, 46% black, and 8% had at least one clinical CVD RF at baseline. Only 593 participants (18%) had all ideal CVH factors in middle age; the prevalence was lower in men compared to women, blacks compared to whites, and in those with vs. without clinical CVD RFs in young adulthood (Table). The HHS showed moderate discrimination for CVH prediction (Table). The HHS was adequately calibrated overall and within each sub-group. Conclusions: The HHS performs moderately well predicting CVH 25 years later when applied to young adults. Its reliance on self-reported, modifiable lifestyle factors makes it an attractive tool for the promotion of CVH across the lifespan.

Alarming trends in ideal cardiovascular health among children and adolescents in Beijing, China, 2004 to 2014

BackgroundThe American Heart Association's 2020 Strategic Goals have defined a new concept of cardiovascular health for adults and children, emphasizing the importance of primordial prevention of cardiovascular diseases. However, detailed data on the trends of ideal cardiovascular health in Chinese children and adolescents are sparse. MethodsA total of 5596 children and adolescents (aged 6–18years) were selected from two cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2004 and 2014, respectively. Cardiovascular health behaviors (smoking, body mass index, physical activity, and diet) and factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose) were evaluated, and only participants with information on all 7 metrics (n=4309) were included for the cardiovascular score analysis. ResultsDuring 2004–2014, ideal levels of almost all the seven metrics decreased, except for a marked increase in physical activity (boys: 23.0% vs 52.8%; girls: 16.2% vs 41.0%). Overall, only 19.5% of boys and 22.0% of girls had ideal cardiovascular health (score≥6) in 2004, which worsened in 2014 (boys: 9.8%; girls: 16.0%). The prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health factors also declined, but the prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health behaviors increased. Being a girl and having a younger age (aged 6–11years) were associated with higher prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health. Higher family income and parental education were associated with a higher prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health behaviors. ConclusionAdverse trends in ideal cardiovascular health were observed among Chinese children and adolescents during 2004–2014. Effective intervention programs, in particular targeting children and adolescents, need to be developed to promote cardiovascular health in China.

Association of Ideal Cardiovascular Health With Vascular Brain Injury and Incident Dementia.

The American Heart Association developed the ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) index as a simple tool to promote CVH; yet, its association with brain atrophy and dementia remains unexamined. Our aim was to investigate the prospective association of ideal CVH with vascular brain injury, including the 10-year risks of incident stroke and dementia, as well as cognitive decline and brain atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging, measured for ≈7 years. We studied 2750 stroke- and dementia-free Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort participants (mean age, 62±9 years; 45% men). Ideal CVH was quantified on a 7-point scale with 1 point awarded for each of the following: nonsmoking status, ideal body mass index, regular physical activity, healthy diet, as well as optimum blood pressure, cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose. Both recent (baseline) and remote (6.9 years earlier) ideal CVH scores were examined. Recent ideal CVH was associated with stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.95), vascular dementia (hazard ratio, 0.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.30-0.81), frontal brain atrophy (P=0.003), and cognitive decline on tasks measuring visual memory and reasoning (P<0.05). In addition to predicting stroke, vascular dementia, whole-brain atrophy, and cognitive decline, remote ideal CVH was associated with the incidence of all-cause dementia (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.97) and Alzheimer disease (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.64-0.98). Adherence to the American Heart Association's ideal CVH factors and behaviors, particularly in midlife, may protect against cerebrovascular disease and dementia.

Ideal Cardiovascular Health and Cognitive Aging in the Northern Manhattan Study.

BackgroundThe American Heart Association defined target levels for 7 cardiovascular health (CVH) factors: smoking, body mass index, physical activity, diet, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose. We hypothesized that a greater number of American Heart Association ideal CVH metrics would be associated with less decline in cognitive performance in our multiethnic population.Methods and ResultsA subsample from the population‐based Northern Manhattan Study underwent repeated neuropsychological testing (mean interval 6±2 years). Domain‐specific Z scores were derived by using factor analysis for the domains of Episodic Memory, Semantic Memory, Executive Function, and Processing Speed, based on initial performance and decline over time. Linear regression models were constructed to examine the relationship between the number of ideal CVH metrics at enrollment with later cognitive performance and decline, adjusting for sociodemographics and magnetic resonance imaging brain markers. Among 1033 participants (mean age at initial cognitive assessment 72±8 years, 39% male, 19% black, 16% white, 65% Hispanic; n=722 with repeat testing), 3% had 0 ideal factors, 15% had 1 factor, 33% had 2 factors, 30% had 3 factors, 14% had 4 factors, 4% had 5 factors, 1% had 6 factors, and 0% had 7 factors. An increasing number of ideal CVH factors was associated with better processing speed at initial assessment and less decline. The association was driven by nonsmoking and glucose. Among those with better cognitive performance at initial assessment, positive associations were observed between the number of ideal CVH factors and less decline in the domains of Executive Function and Episodic Memory.ConclusionsThe number of ideal CVH metrics was associated with less decline in the domains of Processing Speed and, to a lesser extent, of Executive Function and Episodic Memory. Ideal CVH promotion benefits brain health and cognitive aging.

The National Physical Activity Plan: a call to action from the American Heart Association: a science advisory from the American Heart Association.

The health benefits of regular physical activity and the relation between physical inactivity and chronic disease morbidity and mortality are well established. Also clear is the fact that efforts to increase physical activity at the population level will require collective action by government, nongovernment, for-profit, and nonprofit entities working together at the local, state, and national levels. The US National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP), developed by the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance, of which the American Heart Association (AHA) is a member, is designed to facilitate this collective action, to help organizations from all sectors of society work together to increase physical activity in all segments of the American population. The purposes of this advisory are to summarize the data that describe the health benefits of regular physical activity and the public health burden of low levels of physical activity, to describe the NPAP and the role it will play in increasing population levels of physical activity, and to encourage readers of Circulation to join the AHA’s efforts to promote its implementation. As summarized in Table 1, there is substantial evidence supporting the benefits of regular physical activity to prevent a wide variety of disease conditions and to enhance quality of life. Interestingly, there is less of an appreciation of noncardiovascular benefits of lifestyle physical activity and structured exercise, and this is an area of great opportunity for educating the public and healthcare practitioners. View this table: Table 1. The Health Benefits of Regular Physical Activity Physical inactivity is rapidly becoming a major global concern and is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide.2,3 As noted by Kohl and colleagues, “In view of the prevalence, global reach, and health effect of physical inactivity, the issue should be appropriately described as pandemic, with far-reaching health, economic, environmental, and social consequences.”4 According …

Abstract P003: Distribution of Ideal Cardiovascular Health Metrics in US and Non-US populations: A Meta-Analysis of Proportions

Introduction: With the development of new health metrics to define ideal cardiovascular health (CVH), several studies have examined the distribution of the American Heart Association (AHA) 2020 ideal CVH metrics both within and outside the United States (US). In this meta-analysis of proportions, we synthesized available data on ideal CVH metrics distribution in US cohorts and compared them with non-US populations. Methods: A MEDLINE database search was conducted using relevant free text terms such as “life’s simple 7”, “AHA 2020”, “American Heart Association 2020” and “ideal cardiovascular health” between January 2000 and October 2014. Studies were included in the meta-analysis if the proportions achieving ideal for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or ≥6 ideal CVH metrics were known or could be estimated. A meta-analysis of proportions was conducted for US and non-US studies using a random effect model (REM). REM models were chosen because of the significant heterogeneity among studies. Results: Overall the pooled data consisted of 10 US cohorts with a total population of 94,761 participants and 6 non-US cohorts with a total of 130,242 participants. The table shows the pooled prevalence of ideal CVH factors in this population. Overall the pooled estimates of US cohorts showed 15% had 0-1 ideal CVH metrics (inter-study range: 7-22%), while 3% (inter-study range: 1-10%) had 6-7 ideal CVH metrics. This is comparable to 12% (inter-study range 1-17%) and 2% (inter-study range: 1-12%) for 0-1 and 6-7 ideal CVH metrics in the non-US studies. Conclusion: The proportion of persons achieving 6 or more ideal CVH metrics in both US and non-US cohorts is very low and the distribution of CVH metrics is similar in both US and non-US populations. Considering the strong association with worse outcomes, a coordinated global effort at improving CVH should be considered a priority.

Relevance analysis of health behaviors and influencing factors for detection rate of carotid atherosclerotic plaque

To explore the relevance of health behaviors and influencing factors for detection rate of carotid plaques to prevent the formation of carotid plaque. A total of 2 628 healthy subjects aged over 40 years were selected randomly from Department of Cardiology at our hospital from 2009-2010. A questionnaire survey was conducted on age, education level, marriage, occupation, income, diet, living habits and lifestyle factors. Logistic regression analysis was made for the influencing factors of internal carotid artery plaque. Single factor analysis showed that gender, age, smoking rate, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, carotid artery intima-media thickness (intima-media thickness, IMT), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) had significant effects on plaque formation. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C and number of health behaviors were the major influencing factors for the formation of carotid plaque. Compared with the <2 ideal cardiovascular health factors and actuators, the risk levels of 3, 4, 5, >5 ideal cardiovascular health behaviors/factors and occurrence of carotid plaques were 0.65, 0.45, 0.39 and 0.29 respectively. The formation of carotid plaque is affected by many factors. The number of ideal cardiovascular health behaviors is negatively correlated with plaque formation and it can prevent the occurrence of carotid plaque.

Abstract 32: Loss of Ideal Cardiovascular Health Factors from Early Young Adulthood to Middle Age

Introduction: Adults who reach middle age with ideal blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels have lower rates of CVD mortality compared to those with one or more adverse levels. AHA identified four healthy lifestyle factors (HLFs) - BMI, smoking, diet, and physical activity - important for preventing loss of this low CVD risk state. The purpose of this study was to quantify associations between combinations of HLFs measured in young adulthood and loss of ideal CVH factors into middle age. Methods: Analyses included 2,421 young adults (age 18-30 years at baseline in 1985-6) in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study who met criteria for ideal CVH factors at baseline: untreated blood pressure &lt;120/80 mmHg, total cholesterol &lt;200 mg/dL, fasting blood glucose &lt;100 mg/dL and absence of CVD. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios for loss of all ideal CVH factors status over 25 years of follow-up according to 16 combinations of HLFs measured in young adulthood: BMI &lt;25kg/m2, physical activity &gt;300 exercise units, never smoking/quitting ≥ 12 months prior, and scoring in the top tertile of the AHEI diet score. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, education, and study center. Results: Most (86%, 69 of 80) young adults with 0 HLFs lost the all ideal CVH factor status by middle age. Relative to young adults with no ideal HLFs, those with all 4 ideal HLFs were least likely to lose the low risk CVD state (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.40-0.70). In the absence of ideal BMI, no combination of other HLFs was significantly protective (Figure 1). When analysis was restricted to the 1,708 young adults with ideal BMI, participants with ideal smoking, diet, and physical activity had a lower likelihood of losing the ideal CVH factor state compared to those with ideal BMI only (HR 0.79, 95% CI: 0.63-0.99). Conclusions: Ideal BMI in early young adulthood was protective against loss of ideal CVH factors over time. Among those with ideal BMI, ideal smoking status, diet, and physical activity conferred additional benefit.