Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In , the American Heart Association defined a novel construct of cardiovascular health to promote a paradigm shift from a focus solely on disease treatment to one inclusive of positive health promotion and preservation across the life course in populations and individuals.
Extensive subsequent evidence has provided insights into strengths and limitations of the original approach to defining and quantifying cardiovascular health. In response, the American Heart Association convened a writing group to recommend enhancements and updates.
New metrics were considered, and the age spectrum was expanded to include the entire life course. The foundational contexts of social determinants of health and psychological health were addressed as crucial factors in optimizing and preserving cardiovascular health. Each metric has a new scoring algorithm ranging from 0 to points, allowing generation of a new composite cardiovascular health score the unweighted average of all components that also varies from 0 to points.
Methods for implementing cardiovascular health assessment and longitudinal monitoring are discussed, as are potential data sources and tools to promote widespread adoption in policy, public health, clinical, institutional, and community settings.
Keywords: AHA Scientific Statements, health promotion, healthy lifestyle, life change events, public health, social determinants of health. In , after decades of declines in cardiovascular disease CVD death rates, the American Heart Association AHA expanded its focus from addressing existing CVD and risk factors to adding strategies that would also directly promote the health of the population and individuals. Central to this new approach was the creation of a novel and operational definition for the construct of cardiovascular health CVH.
