Prevalence, Determinants, and Time Trends of Cardiovascular Health in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region
Authors' conclusion
This situational analysis of cross-sectional WHO STEPS surveys of CVH status region identified actionable factors of the CVH status across 22 countries in the WHO African Region.
Study context
- Population
- Nonpregnant adults aged 18 to 69 years without known cardiovascular disease (CVD), 22 countries in the WHO African Region, 2003–202225 surveys
- Participants
- 73,024 adults22 countries
- Outcome
- Weighted prevalence of Life's Simple 7 score categories (0-7 poor, 8-11 intermediate, 12-14 ideal CVH) and factors associated with CVH status
Methodological detailsrepeated nationwide and subnational surveys, WHO STEPS surveys, 22 countries, 25 surveys
- Repeated nationwide and subnational surveys
- WHO STEPS surveys
- 22 countries
- 25 surveys
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Weighted prevalence of CVH categories
Ideal cardiovascular health (CVH)
26.2%
95% CI 25.7%–28.0%
Intermediate CVH
57.9%
95% CI 54.8%–59.0%
Poor CVH
15.9%
95% CI 15.1%–17.0%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
| Outcome | OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Individual factors associated with intermediate or ideal CVHFemalesvs MalesIntermediate CVH | 0.77 (0.67–0.89) | |
| Individual factors associated with intermediate or ideal CVHFemalesvs MalesIdeal CVH | 0.80 (0.64–0.92) | |
| Individual factors associated with intermediate or ideal CVHAges 55-69vs 18-25 yearsIntermediate CVH | 0.14 (0.10–0.20) | |
| Individual factors associated with intermediate or ideal CVHAges 55-69vs 18-25 yearsIdeal CVH | 0.06 (0.04–0.09) | |
| Individual factors associated with intermediate or ideal CVHNo educationvs TertiaryIdeal CVH | 0.63 (0.43–0.92) | |
| Individual factors associated with intermediate or ideal CVHHeavy episodic drinkingvs NondrinkingIdeal CVH | 0.51 (0.39–0.67) | |
| 0.050.21520Odds ratio (log scale) |
Country-level contextual factors associated with higher CVH scores
- Higher mean years of schooling, β
- 0.24 (95% CI, 0.17-0.32)
- Higher education percentage, β
- 0.01 (95% CI, 0-0.02)
- Higher prevalence of undernourishment, β
- 3.14 (95% CI, 0.63-5.65)
Time trends in weighted prevalence of CVH categories, 2003–2022
- No statistically significant trend, overall and by sex
Original publication
Prevalence, Determinants, and Time Trends of Cardiovascular Health in the WHO African Region. JAMA Cardiol. Published 1 November 2025. doi:10.
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