title: Status of cardiovascular health in US adults: prevalence estimates from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2003-2008.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The American Heart Association's 2020 Strategic Impact Goals define a new concept, cardiovascular (CV) health; however, current prevalence estimates of the status of CV health in US adults according to age, sex, and race/ethnicity have not been published.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 14 515 adults (≥20 years of age) from the 2003 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Participants were stratified by young (20-39 years), middle (40-64 years), and older (≥65 years) ages. CV health behaviors (diet, physical activity, body mass index, smoking) and CV health factors (blood pressure, total cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, smoking) were defined as poor, intermediate, or ideal. Fewer than 1% of adults exhibited ideal CV health for all 7 metrics. For CV health behaviors, nonsmoking was most prevalent (range, 60.2%-90.4%), whereas ideal Healthy Diet Score was least prevalent (range, 0.2%-2.6%) across groups. Prevalences of ideal body mass index (range, 36.5%-45.3%) and ideal physical activity levels (range, 50.2%-58.8%) were higher in young adults compared with middle or older ages. Ideal total cholesterol (range, 23.7%-36.2%), blood pressure (range, 11.9%-16.3%), and fasting blood glucose (range, 31.2%-42.9%) were lower in older adults compared with young and middle-aged adults. Prevalence of poor CV health factors was lowest in young age but higher at middle and older ages. Prevalence estimates by age and sex were consistent across race/ethnic groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These prevalence estimates of CV health represent a starting point from which effectiveness of efforts to promote CV health and prevent CV disease can be monitored and compared in US adult populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 801 NE 13 Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA. christina-shay@ouhsc.edu
authors.forename: Christina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Shay
authors.forename: Hongyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.forename: Norrina B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Mercedes R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Carnethon
authors.forename: Stephanie E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Chiuve
authors.forename: Kurt J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Greenlund
authors.forename: Martha L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Daviglus
authors.forename: Donald M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lloyd-Jones
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
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