CDC/Amanda Mills, 2011 The goal of the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program is to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in New Hampshire (NH) through mobilizing partnerships, building capacity, enhancing surveillance, and developing and implementing strategies that address risk factors for heart disease and stroke in NH.

Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in NH and stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in NH [1]. In 2008, nearly a quarter of all deaths in NH (23.5%) were due to heart disease, and nearly 1700 people were hospitalized for stroke (From CDC-Wonder website and NH Hospital Discharge Data).

• Watch a video on how to maintain a healthy heart

Heart Disease & Stroke Risk Factors

Common modifiable risk factors [2, 3] for heart disease and stroke include:

Data on risk factors are collected through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) [4]. New Hampshire and the United States have similar rates for all risk factors (Figure 1).

Fig 1: Risk Factors for Heart Disease and Stroke, NH and US

Salt Reduction: What You Should Know

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), most Americans consume more than twice the recommended maximum of sodium, which is a direct cause of hypertension, a condition that affects nearly 1 in 3 Americans, which is an important risk for heart attack and stroke [5].

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend the average person to limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day. However, African American, people with high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, and people 51 or older should limit intake to 1,500 mg or less per day [6].

What You Can Do to Limit Salt Intake

Most of the sodium we eat comes from processed foods and foods prepared in restaurants; therefore, CDC recommends some measures [7] that can help lower the amount of salt intake:

• Choose to purchase healthy options and talk with your grocer or favorite restaurant about stocking lower sodium food choices
• Read the Nutrition Facts label while shopping to find the lowest sodium options of your favorite foods
• Eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and frozen fruits and vegetables without sauce
• Limit processed foods high in sodium
• When eating out, request lower sodium option

References

1. CDC. WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports, 1999 - 2007. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control 2010 [cited 2012 April 25th]; Available from: http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcaus10.html.
2. CDC-HDSP. Heart Disease Risk Factors. Heart Disease 2009 [cited 2012 April 25th]; Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/risk_factors.htm.
3. CDC-HDSP. Stroke Risk Factors. Stroke 2010 [cited 2012 April 25th]; Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/stroke/risk_factors.htm.
4. CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data 2011, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Atlanta, Georgia.
5. CDC. Sodium Reduction: Time for Choice. Public Health Grand Rounds 2011 [cited 2011 April 25th]; Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/about/grand-rounds/archives/2011/April2011.htm.
6. USDA-USDHHS, Dietary Guidelines for Americans. December 2010, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
7. CDC. Where's the sodium? Vital Signs 2012; Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/Sodium/index.html.