Related Experiment Videos
Ideal Cardiovascular Health and Incident Cardiovascular Events: The Jackson Heart Study
Mark J Ommerborn1, Chad T Blackshear2, DeMarc A Hickson3
1Center for Community Health and Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Insights
Achieving more ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in African Americans. Improving CVH through behavioral and clinical support is crucial for this population.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Epidemiology of American Heart Association ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics is understudied in African Americans.
- This study focuses on the Jackson Heart Study, a longitudinal cohort examining cardiovascular disease (CVD) in African Americans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the associations between CVH metrics and incident CVD in African Americans.
- To understand the prevalence of ideal CVH metrics within this demographic.
Main Methods:
- Prospective follow-up of 4,702 Jackson Heart Study participants without CVD (2000-2011).
- Analysis of incidence rates and Cox proportional hazard ratios for CVD events (myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiac procedures, CVD mortality).
- Assessment of seven CVH metrics and their association with CVD risk by sex.
Main Results:
- Low prevalence of ideal health across nutrition, physical activity, BMI, and blood pressure metrics.
- Higher CVD incidence rates observed with fewer ideal CVH metrics (e.g., 12.5 per 1,000 person-years for 0-1 ideal metrics).
- Individuals with four or more ideal CVH metrics showed significantly lower risks of incident CVD (HR=0.29, p<0.001) compared to those with zero or one.
Conclusions:
- More ideal CVH metrics are associated with lower incident CVD risk in African Americans.
- Intensified preventive behavioral and clinical support is recommended to enhance CVH and reduce CVD risk in this population.
Introduction:
The epidemiology of American Heart Association ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics has not been fully examined in African Americans. This study examines the associations of CVH metrics with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the Jackson Heart Study, a longitudinal cohort study of CVD in African Americans.
Methods:
Jackson Heart Study participants without CVD (n=4,702) were followed prospectively between 2000 and 2011. Incidence rates and Cox proportional hazard ratios estimated risks for incident CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiac procedures, and CVD mortality) associated with seven CVH metrics by sex. Analyses were performed in 2015.
Results:
Participants were followed for a median of 8.3 years; none had ideal health on all seven CVH metrics. The prevalence of ideal health was low for nutrition, physical activity, BMI, and blood pressure metrics. The age-adjusted CVD incidence rate (IR) per 1,000 person years was highest for individuals with the least ideal health metrics: zero to one (IR=12.5, 95% CI=9.7, 16.1), two (IR=8.2, 95% CI=6.5, 10.4), three (IR=5.7, 95% CI=4.2, 7.6), and four or more (IR=3.4, 95% CI=2.0, 5.9). Adjusting for covariates, individuals with four or more ideal CVH metrics had lower risks of incident CVD compared with those with zero or one ideal CVH metric (hazard ratio, 0.29; 95% CI=0.17, 0.52; p<0.001).
Conclusions:
African Americans with more ideal CVH metrics have lower risks of incident CVD. Comprehensive preventive behavioral and clinical supports should be intensified to improve CVD risk for African Americans with few ideal CVH metrics.