Assessing Cardiovascular Health Using Life's Simple 7 in a Chinese Population Undergoing Stroke Prevention

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Stroke Prevention

Background:

• Cardiovascular health (CVH) is defined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Life's Simple 7 (LS7) metric.
• Higher adherence to ideal CVH components is linked to reduced cardiovascular disease and mortality.
• Assessing CVH using LS7 in a Chinese population undergoing stroke prevention is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate cardiovascular health (CVH) using the Life's Simple 7 (LS7) metric in a Chinese population.
• To compare CVH status between patients undergoing primary and secondary stroke prevention.
• To identify specific LS7 components that require improvement within this population.

Main Methods:

• Patients with ischemic stroke or cardiovascular risk factors were enrolled between October 2010 and July 2013.
• LS7 components were scored as poor (0), intermediate (1), or ideal (2) points.
• Overall LS7 scores were categorized into inadequate (0-4), average (5-9), or optimal (10-14) CVH.

Main Results:

• Only 8.2% of 255 patients achieved optimal CVH; 9.4% had inadequate CVH.
• Patients undergoing secondary stroke prevention had significantly lower optimal CVH rates (3.8%) compared to primary prevention (12.8%).
• Poor performance was noted in physical activity (0.6% ideal) and diet (7.4% ideal), while smoking cessation was high (76.4% ideal).

Conclusions:

• Optimal cardiovascular health (CVH) is rare among Chinese patients undergoing stroke prevention, as assessed by Life's Simple 7 (LS7).
• Secondary stroke prevention patients exhibit lower optimal CVH compared to primary prevention patients.
• Improving physical activity and dietary habits are critical for enhancing CVH in this population.