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Associations Between Stress and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Million Hearts Priority Populations
Kate Sustersic Gawlik1, Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk1, Alai Tan1
11 College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Insights
High stress significantly increases the risk of hypertension and high cholesterol, particularly in Million Hearts priority populations. Routine stress identification and treatment are crucial for cardiovascular health management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Health
- Public Health
- Psychosocial Factors in Disease
Background:
- Stress is a significant, yet often overlooked, factor in cardiovascular disease development.
- Million Hearts initiative targets priority populations for cardiovascular risk reduction.
- Understanding the interplay between stress, hypertension, and high cholesterol is vital for public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the association between perceived stress and the prevalence of hypertension and high cholesterol.
- To examine these effects within Million Hearts priority populations.
Main Methods:
- A population-based cross-sectional survey involving 59,798 participants.
- Utilized the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4) for stress assessment.
- Employed logistic regression to analyze the impact of stress on blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Main Results:
- 24% of participants reported high stress, with younger individuals and African Americans showing higher prevalence.
- High stress was significantly associated with increased odds of prehypertension/hypertension (OR=1.40) and elevated cholesterol (OR=1.53).
- African Americans exhibited high rates of stress, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
Conclusions:
- Routine screening and management of stress are essential, especially in high-risk populations.
- Culturally sensitive interventions addressing both stress and cardiovascular disease are needed.
- Further research should focus on tailored stress and disease management strategies.
Purpose:
To estimate the effects of stress on hypertension and high cholesterol with a focus on Million Hearts priority populations.
Design:
A population-based cross-sectional survey on cardiovascular health and its risk factors.
Setting:
Million Hearts cardiovascular community screenings.
Sample:
Deidentified data were collected on a convenience sample of 59 798 participants.
Measures:
Self-reported stress score using the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4), blood pressure, and total cholesterol.
Analysis:
Descriptive statistics were used to estimate the prevalence of high stress (PSS-4 score ≥ 9), prehypertension or hypertension, and elevated total cholesterol. Multiple logistic regression modeling was used to estimate the effect of stress on the risk of elevated blood pressure and total cholesterol.
Results:
Twenty-four percent of the participants had high stress. Younger participants had an increased prevalence of high stress than older participants (28% vs 20%, P < .001). African Americans had a high prevalence of stress (26.4%), prehypertension or hypertension (65.4%), and elevated total cholesterol (48.6%). Compared to those with low stress, high stress was associated with significant higher risks of having prehypertension/hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28-1.53) and elevated cholesterol (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.41-1.66).
Conclusions:
Stress needs to be routinely identified and treated, especially in Million Hearts priority populations. More research is needed in designing culturally sensitive and effectively tailored interventions relative to both stress and disease management.
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