Status of cardiovascular health in Chinese adults

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death in China.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to evaluate the current status of cardiovascular health in Chinese adults.

Methods: Cardiovascular health data were collected from a nationally representative sample of 96,121 Chinese adults age ≥ 20 years in 2010. Ideal cardiovascular health was defined according to the American Heart Association's 2020 Strategic Impact Goals as follows: the simultaneous presence of 4 favorable health behaviors (ideal smoking status, ideal body mass index, physical activity at goal, and healthy dietary habits) and 4 favorable health factors (ideal smoking status, untreated total cholesterol <200 mg/dl, untreated blood pressure <120/<80 mm Hg, and untreated fasting plasma glucose <100 mg/dl) in the absence of a history of cardiovascular disease.

Results: The estimated percentage of ideal cardiovascular health was 0.2% in the general adult population in China (0.1% in men and 0.4% in women). An estimated 0.7% (0.4% in men and 1.0% in women) of Chinese adults had all 4 ideal health behaviors, and 13.5% (5.0% in men and 22.3% in women) had all 4 ideal health factors. Men most frequently had 3 to 4 ideal components, and women most commonly had 4 to 5 ideal components of the 7 cardiovascular health metrics. Ideal diet (1.6%) was the least common among all cardiovascular health metrics. Female sex and younger age were the 2 most common protective factors for cardiovascular health in Chinese adults.

Conclusions: The percentage of ideal cardiovascular health in Chinese adults is extremely low. Both population-wide and high-risk strategies should be implemented with great effort to promote cardiovascular health in China.

Keywords: China; cardiovascular disease; epidemiology; health status.