12/21/2012
Dear Grantees:
New research from the CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention finds Americans’ cardiovascular health varies greatly from state to state. The first of its kind report titled, Status of Cardiovascular Health among Adult Americans in 50 States and the District of Columbia, is being featured in the Journal of the American Heart Association on December 19. The report will provide valuable information on the population of each state based on seven major heart health risk factors: hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking, body mass index, diabetes, physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption.
We wanted to send you advance notice about the study and some social media messages you may post on Facebook and Twitter to support this new research. However, these materials are embargoed until Wednesday, December 19, at_10 a.m. EST, when the American Heart Association (AHA) will publish the study online. After that time, please share this information as broadly as possible and send everyone to http://jaha.ahajournals.org/content/1/6/e005371.full to view the report.
Some key points of the CDC study include:
• The percentage of adults reporting ideal cardiovascular health ranged from slightly more than 1 percent in Oklahoma to a high of nearly 7 percent in Washington, DC.
• About 3 percent of adults nationwide reported having ideal heart health.
• About 10 percent of adults nationwide reported having poor cardiovascular health, having five to seven of the risk factors for heart disease.
We ask that you also use the following messaging in your social media efforts to spread the word about this new data:
• This just in: heart varies depending on the state you live in , http://bit.ly/WiW6CQ
• New research shows ONLY about 3 percent of U.S. population reports having ideal . http://bit.ly/WiW6CQ
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, contributing to one in every three deaths each year. The direct medical costs of CVD and indirect costs due to lost productivity total an estimated $444 billion per year.
Healthy People 2020, the nation’s roadmap for better health, includes a goal to “Improve cardiovascular health and quality of life through prevention, detection, and treatment of risk factors for heart attack and stroke….” Similarly, the American Heart Association (AHA) set a 2020 Impact Goal to address CVD: “By 2020, to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20%.”
Results from this study can be used to direct local, state, and national programs aimed at improving behaviors that contribute most to heart health and help focus limited resources.
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We appreciate your support as we continue our joint efforts to create a heart-healthy and stroke-free world.
Barbara Bowman
Acting Director
Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) is an authoritative, peer-reviewed Open Access journal focusing on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease
