U.S. Prevalence of Adverse CVD Outcomes Varies With Income, Education
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, March 14, 2025 -- Top 20 percent income earners with college degrees have the lowest prevalence of adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes, according to a study published online March 6 in The Lancet Regional Health: Americas.
Salma M. Abdalla, Dr.P.H., M.B.B.S., M.P.H., from the Boston University School of Public Health, and colleagues describe population patterns in CVD by income and education during a 20-year period from 1999 to 2018. Participants were stratified into four groups by income and education: top 20 percent income earners, college graduates; top 20 percent income earners, non-college graduates; bottom 80 percent income earners, college graduates; and bottom 80 percent income earners, non-college graduates.
Data for both income and education were reported for 49,704 participants. The researchers observed variation in the age-standardized prevalence of CVD outcomes across the groups. The variation was most significant when comparing prevalence among the top 20 percent income, college graduate group to the bottom 80 percent income, non-college graduate group for congestive heart failure (CHF; 0.5 versus 3.0 percent), angina (1.4 versus 2.8 percent), heart attack (1.7 versus 3.9 percent), and stroke (1.1 versus 3.4 percent). The odds of all CVD conditions were significantly higher in the bottom 80 percent income groups compared with the top 20 percent income, college group (odds ratios, 1.48 to 3.67 for college graduates; 2.36 to 6.52 for non-college graduates), as well as for CHF and heart attack in the top 20 percent, non-college graduate group (odds ratios, 3.11 and 1.92, respectively).
"Despite efforts to narrow health gaps, these observations highlight the challenge of improving the well-being of the majority," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted March 2025
Read this next
Seniors With Certain Cardiovascular Diseases Saw Life's Essential 8 Scores Decline 2013 to 2018
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20, 2025 -- From 2013 to 2018, older adults with heart failure, stroke, and hypertension experienced significant declines in Life's Essential 8 (LE8) scores...
Subcutaneous EEG System Feasible, Acceptable for Monitoring Seizures
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20, 2025 -- Novel subcutaneous electroencephalography (sqEEG) systems, consisting of a small electrode placed beneath the skin, are feasible and acceptable for...
Counties With Repeated Low Cervical Cancer Screening Have Worse Outcomes
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20, 2025 -- Women in counties with repeatedly lower cervical cancer screening rates have nearly double the rate of cervical cancer incidence and mortality as...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.