Ideal cardiovascular health is associated with self-rated health status. The Polish Norwegian Study (PONS).

BACKGROUND: The concept of ideal cardiovascular health emphasizes a more integrative definition of health to include protective biological factors and behaviors but it has not been investigated in relation to individuals' perspectives on their own health.

METHODS: We used cross-sectional data of 10,687 participants, age 45-64years, free of cardiovascular diseases. Ideal cardiovascular health was defined according to the American Heart Association criteria (7 metrics assessed at 3 levels: ideal, intermediate, and poor). A single-item of self-rated health (SRH) was recorded on a scale from 1 to 10. We adjusted for age, sex, education, place of residence, alcohol intake, chronic diseases and depression score in general linear and Poisson regression models.

RESULTS: The study participants met an average of two ideal cardiovascular factors and rated their health around a mean (SD) of 6.8 (1.4). The mean number of ideal metrics met and the total cardiovascular health score displayed a graded association with increasing SRH ratings. Examining prevalence ratios, compared to participants with a lower SRH, those with a SRH≥7 were more likely to be physically active (PR 1.79, 95% CI 1.30-2.45), more likely to have an optimal BMI (PR 1.24, 95% CI 1.16-1.33) and more likely to have their blood pressure controlled (PR 1.24, 95% CI 1.12-1.38).

CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of ideal cardiovascular behaviors and factors is low in the community. The association between ideal cardiovascular health and self-rated health suggests potential opportunity to motivate and deliver health promotion interventions.