New American Heart Association Special Report Defines “Ideal” Cardiovascular Health
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A new special report from the American Heart Association (AHA) defines “poor,” “intermediate,” and “ideal” cardiovascular health, using measures based on seven health factors and lifestyle behaviors. Adults are considered to be in ideal cardiovascular health if all of the measures—dubbed “Life’s Simple 7”— are present:
• Never smoked, or quit more than 1 year ago.
• Body mass index (BMI) less than 25.
• Physical activity of at least 150 minutes (moderate intensity) or 75 minutes (vigorous intensity) per week.
• Four to five of the key components of a healthy diet, consistent with current American Heart Association guideline recommendations.
• Total cholesterol <200 mg/dL.
• Blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg.
• Fasting blood glucose <100 mg/dL.
The measures were developed in support of the AHA 2020 Impact Goal: By 2020, improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20%. To assist in achieving that goal, the AHA also has developed an online resource for consumers titled “My Life Check” (www.heart.org/MyLifeCheck). It includes an interactive assessment that shows users where they fall on the spectrum of cardiovascular health and offers specific action steps for improvement.
The special report—Defining and Setting National Goals for Cardiovascular Health Promotion and Disease Reduction: The American Heart Association’s Strategic Impact Goal Through 2020 and Beyond—was published ahead of print in Circulation on January 20, 2010. It is available at http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192703.
Circulation. 2010;121:586-613.