Heart Disease & Stroke Statistics - 2015 Update

The American Heart Association has published its 2015 update - here are some take home points

• From 2001 to 2011, death rates attributable to cardiovascular disease (CVD) declined 30.8% and stroke rate declined by 35%
• CVD still accounted for 31.3% of all deaths and about 25% were <65 years of age. 
• About 1 million hospital discharges for heart failure occur yearly, which has not changed.
• There continues to be strong data that that we must continue to prioritize health behaviors (healthy diet pattern, appropriate energy intake, physical activity, and nonsmoking) and health factors (optimal blood lipids, blood pressure, glucose levels) throughout the lifespan
• About 75% of children and 50% of adults have ideal cholesterol levels; about one third of adults or about 80 million people have hypertension (blacks about 45%) and about 10% of adults have diabetes. 
• Current cigarette use declined from 24.1% in 1998 to 17.9% in 2013; but about one third of deaths are attributable to smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.
• In 2013, 15.2% of adolescents reported being inactive during the prior week.
• Only half of American adults met the current aerobic physical activity (PA) guidelines (≥150 minutes of moderate PA or 75 minutes of vigorous PA or an equivalent combination each week), and women and minorities were less likely to meet the guidelines. 
• The leading risk factor for death and disability in the United States is suboptimal diet quality. Major contributors were insufficient intakes of fruits, nuts/seeds, whole grains, vegetables, and seafood, as well as excess intakes of sodium.