Cardiovascular Health in a National Sample of Venezuelan Subjects Assessed According to the AHA Score: The EVESCAM.

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular health status of the Venezuelan population has not been evaluated. The American Heart Association recommends the Cardiovascular Health Score (CHS) to assess cardiovascular health.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to determine the prevalence of CHS categories in a nationally representative sample of Venezuelan adults.

METHODS

EVESCAM (Venezuelan Study of Cardio-Metabolic Health) was a national population-based, cross-sectional, randomized cluster sampling study performed from July 1, 2014 to January 31, 2017, which assessed 3,454 adults, age ≥20 years, with a response rate of 77.3%. The American Heart Association's CHS evaluates 4 behaviors (smoking, body mass index, physical activity, and diet) and 3 risk factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose), assigning 1 point to those meting an ideal behavior or factor or 0 points if are not. Subjects were categorized as having ideal (5 to 7 points), intermediate (3 to 4), or poor (<3) cardiovascular health. Weighted prevalence by age, sex, and regions are presented.

RESULTS

A total of 2,992 participants completed the data. Mean age and CHS were 41.4 ± 15.8 years and 4.3 ± 1.1 points, respectively. The prevalence of ideal CHS was 37.9% (95% confidence interval: 35.0 to 40.7); two-thirds presented with intermediate to poor CHS. Ideal CHS was most prevalent in women, in the youngest participants, and in those with higher education degree and living in a rural area. The prevalence of 7 components was 0.13%. Subjects evaluated since mid-2016 had a higher prevalence of ideal CHS (≈47%) than those evaluated before it (≈32%) (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A high prevalence of ideal CHS was observed in Venezuelan adults compared with other reports; however, a large proportion remain with high risk for cardiovascular disease.