Table 1.

Definition of ideal, intermediate, and poor levels of ideal cardiovascular health indices

Metrics	Poor	Intermediate	Ideal
Smoking	Current smoker	Former smoker	Nonsmoker
Physical activitya	<3500 steps/day	3500–10,000 steps/day	>10,000 steps/day
Healthy dietb	0–1 component	2–3 components	4–5 components
Body mass index	≥30 kg/m2	25–29.9 kg/m2	<25 kg/m2
Blood pressure	SBP ≥ 140 or DBP ≥ 90 mmHg	SBP 120–139 or DBP 80–89 mmHg or treated to ideal	SBP<120 and DBP<80 mmHg
Total cholesterol	≥240 mg/dL	200–239 mg/dL or treated to ideal	<200 mg/dL
Fasting glucose	≥126 mg/dL	100–125 mg/dL or treated to ideal	<100 mg/dL

^aThe AHA’s definitions [6] classify physical activity levels based on total activity time (minutes per day), but in the SHFS, physical activity was assessed with pedometers (steps per day). As several studies suggest that individuals who accumulate at least 10,000 steps per day have a decreased risk of obesity and hypertension compared with individuals who accumulate fewer steps per day, [48]>10,000 steps per day was considered an ideal level of activity

^bIncludes (1) fruits and vegetables: ≥4.5 servings per day; (2) fish: ≥200 g per week; (3) fiber-to-carbohydrate ratio:>1 g of fiber per 10 g of carbohydrate; (4) sodium:<1500 mg per day; and (5) sugar-sweetened foods and beverages: ≤450 kcal per week. The 5 healthy diet components here were adapted from the AHA’s definitions of the 5 components, which were “(1) fruits and vegetables: ≥4.5 cups per day; (2) fish: ≥two 3.5-oz servings per week (preferably oily fish); (3) fiber-rich whole grains (≥1.1 g of fiber per 10 g of carbohydrate): ≥three 1-oz-equivalent servings per day; (4) sodium:<1500 mg per day; (5) sugar-sweetened beverages: ≤450 kcal (36 oz) per week.”