April 27, 2026Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Community Prevalence of Ideal Cardiovascular Health, by the American Heart Association Definition, and Relationship With Cardiovascular Disease Incidence
Key result
Having six ideal cardiovascular health metrics linked to ~89% lower incident CVD versus zero.
- n=12,744
Why the study?
Following newly defined AHA metrics for cardiovascular health, the prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health and its relationship with incident CVD needed estimation.
Population
12,744 participants age 45 to 64 years initially free of CVD
Comparison
Ideal vs intermediate vs poor cardiovascular health categories
Design
Prospective cohort study
Follow-up
Through 2007
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
Calls for enhanced primordial prevention strategies; leaves open whether achieving ideal cardiovascular health is causal or merely associative.
Study Design
Type
Cohort (n=12,744)
Multicenter
Yes
PICO
P
Population
Cardiovascular health (n=12,744)
I
Intervention / Comparator
6 ideal cardiovascular health metrics vs 0 ideal cardiovascular health metrics
O
Primary Outcome
Incident cardiovascular disease (stroke, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and fatal coronary disease)
Main Result
Absolute Event Rate: 3.9% vs 37.1%
Cite This Study
Folsom et al. (2011) conducted a cohort in Cardiovascular health (n=12,744). 6 ideal cardiovascular health metrics vs. 0 ideal cardiovascular health metrics was evaluated on Incident cardiovascular disease (stroke, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and fatal coronary disease). Having 6 ideal cardiovascular health metrics was associated with a substantially lower incidence of cardiovascular disease compared to zero ideal metrics (3.9 vs 37.1 per 1,000 person-years).