Cardiovascular health evaluation: Survey study in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular health metrics in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurrence. The American Heart Association (AHA) recently set a goal to improve the cardiovascular health encouraging the population to meet 7 cardiovascular health metrics: non-smoking, being physically active, eating a healthy diet, having normal blood pressure, blood glucose and total cholesterol level, and weight. The community prevalence study (pilot) of Cardiovascular Health Metrics by the American Heart Association definition has been held in the North region of Republic of Moldova. For this purpose, there has been selected a stratified cluster sample of adults 18+ years old (n=445, confidence level 0.95, α=0.05, deff =1.5) adjusted to nonresponse rate (10%), using structured interviews. Equally individuals in the study were investigated to determine systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, blood cholesterol and glucose level. In this community-based sample, few adults had “ideal” cardiovascular health by the new AHA definition. Nevertheless, those who had the best levels of cardiovascular health experienced relatively few events of CVD occurrence: ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and hypertensive disease (p=0.012). To improve cardiovascular health in the Republic of Moldova, we will need to reinforce primordial prevention efforts at the population and individual levels developing a survey system of cardiovascular risk factors.