Key result
Smoking-related legislation is linked to lower cardiovascular disease, while other social policies show mixed benefits.
Why the study?
Social public policies in the U.S. may address social determinants of cardiovascular diseases and indirectly contribute to declines in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, but their associations with cardiovascular diseases among U.S. adults were not systematically reviewed.
Do social public policies reduce the incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among U.S. adults?
Systematic Review
Do social public policies reduce the incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among U.S. adults?
This systematic review highlights that smoking-related legislation is protective against cardiovascular diseases, though evidence for other social policies like housing and food assistance remains inconclusive.
Supports smoking legislation in CVD prevention advocacy; extends systematic evidence on U.S. public policies and cardiovascular outcomes.
INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular diseases are the most common chronic diseases and leading causes of death among U.S. adults. Social public policies in the U.S. (including public assistance programs) may address social determinants of cardiovascular diseases and indirectly contribute to declines in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This review examines associations between social public policies and cardiovascular diseases among U.S. adults. METHODS: Using PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase, a systematic search of full-text articles published between January 1990 and July 2024 that examined the effect of public policies on cardiovascular diseases among U.S. adults was conducted between September and October 2024. Study characteristics and statistical results were presented. RESULTS: Of 11,585 potentially eligible records identified, 46 reports (studies) were included after title, abstract, and full-text screening. Four public policy groups emerged: smoking-related legislation (n=32), housing assistance (n=7), food assistance (i.e., Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) (n=6), and air pollution regulation (n=1). The most examined outcomes were acute myocardial infarction, cardiovascular-related mortality, and hypertension. Smoking-related legislation was associated with decreased incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. Associations of housing assistance and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program with cardiovascular diseases were mixed, whereas air pollution regulation was not associated with cardiovascular diseases. DISCUSSION: Overall, smoking-related legislation was protective against cardiovascular diseases, whereas the patterns of findings about the other policy types and cardiovascular diseases were less conclusive. Inferences about causality were limited by observational and/or cross-sectional study designs. Future studies about public policies and cardiovascular diseases should further examine specific policy characteristics and sociodemographic disparities.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Patel et al. (2026) conducted a systematic review in Cardiovascular diseases. Social public policies was evaluated on Incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. Smoking-related legislation was associated with decreased cardiovascular disease, while housing and food assistance had mixed results, and air pollution regulation showed no association.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: