Abstract MP042: Overall AHA Cardiovascular Health Score In Latino Men And Women In Zulia State, Venezuela

• Published in: Circulation (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 125; no. suppl_10
• Main Authors: Florez, Hermes J, Silva, Egle, Castillo-Florez, Sumaya, Sulvaran, Tulio, Ryder, Elena, Maestre, Gladys, Oropesa, Lisset
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 13-03-2012
• ISSN: 0009-7322; 1524-4539
• DOI: 10.1161/circ.125.suppl_10.AMP042

Abstract only
Introduction:
Cardiovascular (CV) disease has remained the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The American Heart Association (AHA) recently set goals for CV health promotion and disease reduction. There are limited CVD data available to plan prevention strategies in developing countries.
Aim:
To assess the effect age and gender on the AHA overall CV health score in the Venezuelan population.
Methods:
In a population-based study in Zulia State, Venezuela, we evaluated 3108 Latino adult men and women on the prevalence of ideal CV health behaviors (nonsmoking, achieving normal weight, enough physical activity, and a healthy diet) and ideal CV health factors (total cholesterol<200 mg/dl, blood pressure< 120/80 mmHg, and fasting blood glucose<100 mg/dl). We calculated AHA global CV health score assigning 1 to each ideal behavior and factor (for a maximum of 7) and 0 for poor status to each one.
Results:
Most (75.7%) of the population had intermediate CV scores (between 3 and 5) while in 10.8% had poor scores (<3) and only 13.5% had ideal scores (>5). Large portions of the population need improvements on diet (97.9%), physical activity (80.9%), weight management (60.2%) and blood pressure (59.6%), while some need interventions to reduce hypercholesterolemia (26.9%), hyperglycemia (23.8%), and smoking (20.8%). The global cardiovascular score significantly decreases with age (p<0.001) but this reduction was steeper in women than in men after age 50 (p<0.001for gender*age interaction).
Conclusions:
CV health promotion strategies are needed in the majority (∼86%) of the Latino population in Zulia, Venezuela. Prevention strategies focusing on weight reduction through healthy diet and increased physical activity may have significant impact improving overall CV health and reducing obesity related comorbidities, such as hypertension and diabetes, in this population.