Study Reveals Declining Heart Health Among Older Adults with Cardiovascular Conditions
New research shows significant declines in cardiovascular health among U.S. adults aged 65 and older with high blood pressure, stroke, or heart failure, highlighting critical gaps in blood pressure control and physical activity.
Cardiovascular health among older U.S. adults with certain cardiovascular diseases was suboptimal and declining, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The study, based on 2013-2018 national health survey data for 3,050 adults ages 65 and older, found that cardiovascular health dropped significantly among those with high blood pressure, stroke, or heart failure.
The cardiovascular scores calculated in the analysis were based on participants' health data in relation to the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 health metrics for optimal cardiovascular health. These metrics measure eight components for ideal heart and brain health, including diet, physical activity, smoking status, sleep, body mass index, cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure.
Researchers found that people with no cardiovascular disease had an average cardiovascular health score of 68 out of 100, while those with one or more cardiovascular conditions had scores below 60, with scores declining with each additional cardiovascular disease. From 2013-2018, cardiovascular health scores among people with high blood pressure decreased about 4.1%, 11.5% among people with a history of stroke, and 15.2% among people with heart failure.
Study co-author James M. Walker noted that physical activity and blood pressure scores tended to be very low for people with cardiovascular disease. On average, participants with one cardiovascular disease had a Life's Essential 8 score 9 points lower than those without cardiovascular disease, a gap largely explained by low scores for blood pressure and physical activity.
The findings are intended to lay the groundwork for future research on how cardiovascular health trends may have changed in older U.S. adults with cardiovascular conditions. The study's limitations include its cross-sectional design, which cannot prove cause and effect, and the examination of only six types of cardiovascular disease, potentially missing less common diagnoses.
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