Table 1.
Definition of Life's Simple 7 Cardiovascular Health Metricsa
| Metric | Level of Cardiovascular Health | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Poor | Intermediate | Ideal | |
| Blood pressure | Treated BP ≥140/90 mm Hg, and BP ≥140/90 mm Hg | SBP 120 to 139 mm Hg or DBP 80 to 89 mm Hg or treated to <120/80 mm Hg | <120/80 mm Hg, without BP‐lowering meds |
| Total cholesterol | ≥240 mg/dL | 200 to 239 mg/dL or treated to <200 mg/dL | <200 mg/dL, without lipid‐lowering medication |
| Glucose/diabetesb | HbA1c >6.4% | HbA1c 5.7% to 6.4% or treated with insulin or oral meds to HbA1C <5.7% | HbA1c <5.7%, without meds |
| Smokingc | Current smoker | Former smoker | Never smoker |
| Body weight | BMI ≥30 kg/m2 | 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 | <25 kg/m2 |
| Physical activity | No activity | 1 to 149 minutes moderate/vigorous per week | >=150 minutes moderate/vigorous per week |
| Dietd | HEI <50 | HEI 50 to 80 | HEI >80 |
AHA indicates American Heart Association; BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; HbA1C, hemoglobin A1c; HEI, Healthy Eating Index; SBP, systolic blood pressure.
The AHA definitions for poor, intermediate, and ideal health were used for blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI, and physical activity8; however, modified definitions were used for FPG, smoking, and health diet score.
Glucose/diabetes: AHA defined poor health as FPG ≥126 mg/dL or HgbA1C ≥7%, intermediate health as FPG 100 to 125 mg/dL or HgbA1C <7%, and ideal health as FPG <100 mg/dL.
Smoking: AHA defined poor health as current smoker, intermediate health as quit smoking <12 months, and ideal health as never smoker or quit smoking ≥12 months.
HEI score includes 3 of 5 primary criteria included in the AHA healthy dietary score: fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and sodium. Not included are sugar‐sweetened beverages and fish consumption.