Prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health in a community-based population – results from the Swiss Longitudinal Cohort Study (SWICOS)

Abstract

AIMS OF THE STUDY: The American Heart Association (AHA) developed a concept to measure cardiovascular health in populations. We aimed to analyse participants in the Swiss Longitudinal Cohort Study (SWICOS) according to the AHA concept. METHODS: We analysed cardiovascular health according to the AHA concept in all 474 participants of the prospective, population-based SWICOS study who were 18 years or older. The AHA concept uses seven health metrics of known cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, total cholesterol, blood glucose, smoking, body weight, physical activity and diet), and classifies each health metric according to three levels (ideal, intermediate and poor) using pre-defined cut-offs. RESULTS: Ideal cardiovascular health for three or more of the seven health metrics was found in 259 participants (54.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 50.1–59.4%), but a relevant number of participants (n = 213, 45.1%, 95% CI 40.6–49.7%) showed ideal cardiovascular health for only two or fewer of the seven health metrics. Poor cardiovascular health for three or more of the seven health metrics was found in 40 participants (8.5%; 95% CI 6.1–11.4%); a majority of 432 participants (91.5%; 95% CI 88.6–93.9%) showed a poor level for only two or fewer of the seven health metrics. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we found favourable results for cardiovascular health in the population-based SWICOS cohort. Nevertheless, we see the need for further health prevention campaigns given the fact that a relevant proportion of the participants could optimise their cardiovascular health. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT02282748

Social support and ideal cardiovascular health in urban Jamaica: a cross-sectional study

“…Studies have been done to review the relationship between social support and disease morbidity and as such predict pathways in which social support may influence health outcomes and contribute to better mental health and also act as a buffer to stressful chronic conditions (22, 40). In a Swiss study, the prevalence of ICH was found to be 54% (3 or more ICH variables), compared to our study with 26.7% of persons having five or more ICH variables (41) Another study in Peru had only 12.7% having 5 or more ICH characteristics and no one had all 7 ICH characteristics (42). Similarly, persons in the lower SES regions had higher percentage of ICH prevalence.…”

Social support and ideal cardiovascular health in urban Jamaica: A cross-sectional study

“…We previously reported a 23% prevalence for ICH among adults 20 years and older in a national urban sample [ 12 ]. In a Swiss study, the prevalence of three or more ICH characteristics was found to be 54%, while in a study in Peru only 12.7% had 5 or more ICH characteristics and no one had all 7 ICH characteristics [ 47 , 48 ]. Similar to our findings, the study from Peru found that persons in the lower SES regions had higher percentage of ICH prevalence [ 48 ].…”

Impact of Cardiovascular Risk Factors on Arterial Stiffness in a Countryside Area of Switzerland: Insights from the Swiss Longitudinal Cohort Study

“…Importantly, the study demonstrates that traditional cardiovascular risk factors are important modulators of arterial stiffness [ 8 – 11 , 13 ] also in rural surroundings [ 15 ]. The investigated countryside area, known to have a favorable cardiovascular health profile [ 19 ], is characterized by a low migration rate, therefore offering ideal candidates to explore the prognostic importance of the observed associations over a longitudinal follow-up, as foreseen in the SWICOS project.…”

“…The following five traditional cardiovascular risk factors were considered for the present analysis: (1) history of arterial hypertension, (2) history of hyperlipidemia, (3) history of diabetes mellitus, (4) tobacco smoking, and (5) obesity (body mass index ≥ 30.0 kg/m 2 ) [ 19 ].…”