Table 1.
Life's simple seven cardiovascular health metrics and definitions.
| Health metric | Poor (scored = 0) | Intermediate (scored = 1) | Ideal (scored = 2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood pressure | SBP ≥ 140 or DBP ≥ 90 mmHg | SBP 120–139 and DBP 80–89 mmHg or treated to ideal goal | SBP < 120 and DBP < 80 mmHg and not on blood pressure medications |
| Total cholesterol | ≥240 mg/dL | 200–239 mg/dL, or treated to ideal goal | <200 mg/dL, and not on lipid lowering medications |
| A1c | ≥5.7% | 5.0–5.6 | <4.9 |
| Body mass index | ≥30 kg/m2 | 25–29.9 kg/m2 | <25 kg/m2 |
| Physical activitya | None | Under 30 min moderate exercise 3 days per week | ≥ 30 min moderate exercise at least 3 days per week |
| Fruit and vegetable servings per day | 0 | 1–4 | ≥5 |
| Smoking | Current | Former, stopped ≤12 months ago | Never smoked or quit >12 months ago |
Abbreviations: SBP, Systolic Blood Pressure; DBP, Diastolic Blood Pressure.
a
Healthy diet score is calculated using four components of the Health Eating Index (fruits, vegetables, grains and sodium), a diet quality scale that assesses conformance to federal dietary guidance.