life's simple 7
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Author(s):  
Amber E. Johnson ◽  
Brandon M. Herbert ◽  
Natalie Stokes ◽  
Maria M. Brooks ◽  
Belinda L. Needham ◽  
...  

Background Educational attainment is protective for cardiovascular health (CVH), but the benefits of education may not persist across racial and ethnic groups. Our objective was to determine whether the association between educational attainment and ideal CVH differs by race and ethnicity in a nationally representative sample. Methods and Results Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we determined the distribution of ideal CVH, measured by Life’s Simple 7, across levels of educational attainment. We used multivariable ordinal logistic regression to assess the association between educational attainment (less than high school, high school graduate, some college, college graduate) and Life’s Simple 7 category (ideal, intermediate, poor), by race and ethnicity (Asian, Black, Hispanic, White). Covariates were age, sex, history of cardiovascular disease, health insurance, access to health care, and income–poverty ratio. Of 7771 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants with complete data, as level of educational attainment increased, the criteria for ideal health were more often met for most metrics. After adjustment for covariates, effect of education was attenuated but remained significant ( P <0.01). Those with at least a college degree had 4.12 times the odds of having an ideal Life’s Simple 7 compared with less than high school (95% CI, 2.70–5.08). Among all racial and ethnic groups, as level of educational attainment increased, so did Life’s Simple 7. The magnitude of the association between education and CVH varied by race and ethnicity (interaction P <0.01). Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that educational attainment has distinct associations with ideal CVH that differs by race and ethnicity. This work demonstrates the need to elucidate barriers preventing individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups from achieving equitable CVH.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jee Won Park ◽  
Akilah J. Dulin ◽  
Belinda L. Needham ◽  
Mario Sims ◽  
Eric B. Loucks ◽  
...  

Background: Optimism has been shown to be positively associated with better cardiovascular health (CVH). However, there is a dearth of prospective studies showing the benefits of optimism on CVH, especially in the presence of adversities, i.e., psychosocial risks. This study examines the prospective relationship between optimism and CVH outcomes based on the Life's Simple 7 (LS7) metrics and whether multilevel psychosocial risks modify the aforementioned relationship.Methods: We examined self-reported optimism and CVH using harmonized data from two U.S. cohorts: Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and Jackson Heart Study (JHS). Modified Poisson regression models were used to estimate the relationship between optimism and CVH using LS7 among MESA participants (N = 3,520) and to examine the relationship of interest based on four biological LS7 metrics (body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose) among JHS and MESA participants (N = 5,541). For all CVH outcomes, we assessed for effect measure modification by psychosocial risk.Results: Among MESA participants, the adjusted risk ratio (aRR) for ideal or intermediate CVH using LS7 comparing participants who reported high or medium optimism to those with the lowest level of optimism was 1.10 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.04–1.16] and 1.05 (95% CI: 0.99–1.11), respectively. Among MESA and JHS participants, the corresponding aRRs for having all ideal or intermediate (vs. no poor) metrics based on the four biological LS7 metrics were 1.05 (0.98–1.12) and 1.04 (0.97–1.11), respectively. The corresponding aRRs for having lower cardiovascular risk (0–1 poor metrics) based on the four biological LS7 metrics were 1.01 (0.98–1.03) and 1.01 (0.98–1.03), respectively. There was some evidence of effect modification by neighborhood deprivation for the LS7 outcome and by chronic stress for the ideal or intermediate (no poor) metrics outcome based on the four biological LS7 metrics.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that greater optimism is positively associated with better CVH based on certain LS7 outcomes among a racially/ethnically diverse study population. This relationship may be effect measure modified by specific psychosocial risks. Optimism shows further promise as a potential area for intervention on CVH. However, additional prospective and intervention studies are needed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 1005-1006
Author(s):  
Teresa Warren ◽  
McKenna Williams ◽  
Christine Fennema-Notestine ◽  
Jeremy Elman ◽  
Jennifer de Anda ◽  
...  

Abstract American Heart Association’s (AHA) Life’s Simple 7 (LS7), an index of cardiovascular health risks, has been associated with worse brain outcomes but few examined this relationship in midlife. We examined whether LS7 scores at midlife were associated with brain morphometry in early old age. Participants were 471 men who participated in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. The LS7 index was assessed at mean age 62 (range 55-66) and 68 (range 61-71) and included smoking, physical activity, diet, body mass index, cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure. Each factor was coded, per AHA criteria, on a 3-point scale (0/poor-2/ideal) and summed to create a composite score (0-14). At mean age 68, participants underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging, which was used to create the previously validated brain measures. Scores included: the ratio of abnormal white matter to white matter, and two Alzheimer’s disease brain signatures (cortical thickness/volume signature and a mean diffusivity (MD) signature). Analyses controlled for age, education, income, ethnicity, and APOE genotype. Concurrently at mean age 68, the LS7 was associated with cortical thickness/volume (F=4.85, p = .028), MD (F=10.89, p = .001) signatures and abnormal white matter ratio (F=14.04, p &lt; .001). Prospectively, the LS7 at mean 62 was significantly associated with age 68 cortical thickness/volume (F=5.08, p = .025) and MD (F=5.54, p = .019) signatures but not with abnormal white matter ratio. These results suggest that prevention strategies that promote heart healthy behaviors could have implications for healthy brain aging.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane A. Leopold ◽  
Elliott M. Antman

Abstract Background Studies relying on self-reported sleep data suggest that there is an association between short and long sleep duration and less than ideal cardiovascular health. Evidence regarding the feasibility of using digital health devices to measure sleep duration and assess its relationship to ideal cardiovascular health are lacking. The objective of the present study was to utilize digital health devices to record sleep duration and examine the relationship between sleep duration and ideal cardiovascular health. Methods A total of 307 participants transmitted sleep duration data from digital health devices and answered the Life’s Simple 7 survey instrument to assess ideal cardiovascular health. Sleep duration was defined as adequate (7 to < 9 h per night) or non-adequate (< 7 h and ≥ 9 h). Results We identified three sleep-cardiovascular health phenogroups: resilient (non-adequate sleep and ideal cardiovascular health), uncoupled (adequate sleep and non-ideal cardiovascular health) or concordant (sleep and cardiovascular health metrics were aligned). Participants in the resilient phenogroup (n = 83) had better cardiovascular health factor profiles (blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels) and behaviors (healthy weight, diet, exercise, smoking) than participants in the concordant (n = 171) and uncoupled (n = 53) phenogroups. This was associated with higher Life’s Simple 7 Health Scores in the resilient phenogroup compared to the concordant and uncoupled phenogroups (7.8 ± 0.8 vs. 7.0 ± 1.4 vs. 5.6 ± 0.7, P < 0.01). Conclusion This study identified three distinct sleep-ideal cardiovascular health phenogroups and highlights the advantage of incorporating sleep assessments into studies of cardiovascular health. Future studies should focus on the relationship between sleep-cardiovascular phenogroups and clinical outcomes. Clinical Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02958098. Date of registration: November 11, 2016.


Author(s):  
Shabatun J. Islam ◽  
Jeong Hwan Kim ◽  
Emma Joseph ◽  
Matthew Topel ◽  
Peter Baltrus ◽  
...  

Background: Early trauma (general, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse before age 18 years) has been associated with both cardiovascular disease risk and lifestyle-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity. Despite higher prevalence, the association between early trauma and cardiovascular health (CVH) has been understudied in Black Americans, especially those from low-income backgrounds, who may be doubly vulnerable. Therefore, we investigated the association between early trauma and CVH, particularly among low-income Black Americans. Methods: We recruited 457 Black adults (age 53±10, 38% male) without known cardiovascular disease from the Atlanta, GA, metropolitan area using personalized, community-based recruitment methods. The Early Trauma Inventory was administered to assess overall early traumatic life experiences which include physical, sexual, emotional abuse, and general trauma. Our primary outcome was the American Heart Association Life’s Simple 7, which is a set of 7 CVH metrics, including 4 lifestyle-related factors (smoking, body mass index, physical activity, and diet) and three physiologically measured health factors (blood pressure, total blood cholesterol, and blood glucose). We used linear regression models adjusting for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and depression to test the association between early trauma and CVH and tested the early trauma by household income (<$50 000) interaction. Results: Higher levels of early trauma were associated with lower Life’s Simple 7 scores (β, −0.05 [95% CI, −0.09 to −0.01], P =0.02, per 1 unit increase in the Early Trauma Inventory score) among lower, but not higher, income Black participants ( P value for interaction=0.04). Subtypes of early trauma linked to Life’s Simple 7 were general trauma, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. Exploratory analyses demonstrated that early trauma was only associated with the body mass index and smoking components of Life’s Simple 7. Conclusions: Early trauma, including general trauma, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse, may be associated with worse CVH among low-, but not higher-income Black adults.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane A. Leopold ◽  
Elliott M. Antman

AbstractCardiovascular disease risk factor profiles and health behaviors are known to differ between women and men. Sex-based differences in ideal cardiovascular health were examined in the My Research Legacy study, which collected cardiovascular health and lifestyle data via Life’s Simple 7 survey and digital health devices. As the study overenrolled women (n = 1251) compared to men (n = 310), we hypothesized that heterogeneity among women would affect comparisons of ideal cardiovascular health. We identified 2 phenogroups of women in our study cohort by cluster analysis. The phenogroups differed significantly across all 7 cardiovascular health and behavior domains (all p < 0.01) with women in phenogroup 1 having a lower Life’s Simple 7 Health Score than those in phenogroup 2 (5.9 ± 1.3 vs. 7.6 ± 1.3, p < 0.01). Compared to men, women in phenogroup 1 had a higher burden of cardiovascular disease risk factors, exercised less, and had lower ideal cardiovascular health scores (p < 0.01). In contrast, women in phenogroup 2 had fewer cardiovascular risk factors but similar exercise habits and higher ideal cardiovascular health scores than men (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that heterogeneity among study participants should be examined when evaluating sex-based differences in ideal cardiovascular health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2450
Author(s):  
Jane A. Leopold ◽  
Elliott M. Antman

Former smokers remain at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases compared to never smokers, but have lower risk than current smokers. We therefore hypothesized that former smokers would have an ideal cardiovascular health phenotype that was intermediate between current and never smokers. Differences in ideal cardiovascular health between never (n = 1025), former (n = 428), and current (n = 108) smokers were evaluated in the My Research Legacy study, which collected cardiovascular health data from the Life’s Simple 7 survey and digital health devices. Former smokers had a higher burden of prevalent cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia compared to current and never smokers (all p < 0.01). Former smokers’ Life’s Simple 7 Health Scores, a measure of ideal cardiovascular health, were intermediate between current and never smokers (4.9 ± 1.3 vs. 6.3 ± 1.5 vs. 7.0 ± 1.4, p < 0.01). As former smokers shared similarities with both current and never smokers, we performed a cluster analysis, which identified two phenogroups of former smokers. The phenogroups differed significantly across all 7 cardiovascular health and behavior categories (all p < 0.01). These findings suggest that former smokers are a heterogeneous group and increased attention to cardiovascular health factors and behaviors is warranted to achieve ideal cardiovascular health.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chinedu C Ochin ◽  
Sherman Bigornia ◽  
Mahdi O Garelnabi ◽  
Katherine L Tucker

Introduction: FGF-23 is a phosphatouric hormone which also serves as a plasma biomarker that mediates pathologic cardiac remodeling, such as left ventricular hypertrophy or myocardial fibrosis, and is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. However, limited evidence is available on lifestyle-related factors associated with circulating concentration of this emerging cardiovascular risk factor. Objective: Our aim was to measure the association between the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) and circulating FGF-23 concentration among Puerto Rican adults. Methods: Data are from Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS) participants (mean age 56.2 years, 77% female) at baseline and at approximately 8-y follow-up (n=410). LS7 was calculated at baseline and includes 4 physiological (BMI, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting glucose) and 3 behavioral factors (smoking, physical activity, and diet). Each component was categorized using a constituent scoring system (ideal=2; intermediate=1; Poor=0) and these were summed to calculate the total LS7 score. Participants were categorized into 5 LS7 groups as follows: 1) score 1-4 (n=105), 2) 5 (n=76), 3) 6 (n=89), 4) 7 (n=69), and 5) 8-12 (n=71). Fasting plasma FGF-23 concentration at 8-y follow-up was measured by ELISA. Associations between baseline LS7 score and 8-y FGF-23 were assessed using ANCOVA, adjusted for age and sex (model 1), and additionally for history of cardiovascular disease and poverty-income-ratio (model 2). Results: Relative to participants in LS7 group 1 (2.98 ± 1.09 mg/dL), those in groups 5 (1.63 ± 1.12 mg/dL, p=0.0001) had significantly lower FGF-23 concentration (model 1, P-trend=0.0001). After considering additional confounders, FGF-23 concentration among LS7 group 5 (1.69 ± 1.12 mg/dL, p=0.0007) remained significantly lower than in group 1 (2.95 ± 1.09 mg/dL). The p-trend across categories was also significant at p=0.0007. In additional analyses, LS7 components for smoking (ideal vs. poor, 2.07 ± 1.10 mg/dL vs. 2.87 ± 1.10 mg/dL, p=0.01) and fasting glucose (ideal vs. poor, 2.03 ± 1.07 mg/dL vs. 2.90 ± 1.09 mg/dL, p=0.004), but no other components, were associated with FGF-23 concentration. Conclusions: Optimal LS7 status was associated with lower 8-y mean plasma FGF-23 concentration. Efforts to target LS7 components, particularly smoking and glucose control, may improve FGF-23 concentration among Puerto Rican adults.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Y Ding ◽  
Weijia Wang ◽  
Darleen Lessard ◽  
Jordy Mehawej ◽  
Tanya Mailhot ◽  
...  

Introduction: The American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) score is a well-validated metric of cardiovascular health shown to be associated with cognitive status in numerous cardiac cohorts. However, little is known regarding this relationship in older adults with atrial fibrillation (AF). We aim to characterize LS7 scores in this population and examine its relationship with cognitive status. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that LS7 score is associated with cognitive status in older adults with AF. Methods: The Systematic Assessment of Geriatric Elements in AF (SAGE-AF) study is a longitudinal cohort of patients over 65 years of age who are diagnosed with AF from Massachusetts and Georgia. The LS7 components are collected through self-reported data from the baseline visit as well as medical records. Cognitive status is operationalized using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Descriptive statistics were calculated and univariate logistic regression using tertiles of LS7 as exposure was used to assess the relationship between LS7 score and cognitive status. Results: A total of 1241 participants were included in study sample. Average age of the population was 76, 49% were female, and most of the sample were White (89%). Mean LS7 score was 7.92 (SD 2.05), and the tertile thresholds were 0-6, 7-9, and 10-14 (n = 302, 671, 268). Those in the lowest and middle tertiles of LS7 score were more likely than those in the highest to be cognitively impaired (lowest - OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.33 - 2.61; middle - OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.14 - 2.03) Conclusions: Most older adults with AF had LS7 scores of between 7-9 out of 14, and those with more favorable cardiovascular health were less likely to be cognitively impaired.


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