Ideal cardiovascular health is associated with self-rated health status. The Polish Norwegian Study (PONS)

Background The concept of ideal cardiovascular health emphasizes a more integrative definition of health to include protective biological factors and behaviors but it has not been investigated in relation to individuals' perspectives on their own health. Methods We used cross-sectional data of 10,687 participants, age 45–64 years, free of cardiovascular diseases. Ideal cardiovascular health was defined according to the American Heart Association criteria (7 metrics assessed at 3 levels: ideal, intermediate, and poor). A single-item of self-rated health (SRH) was recorded on a scale from 1 to 10. We adjusted for age, sex, education, place of residence, alcohol intake, chronic diseases and depression score in general linear and Poisson regression models. Results The study participants met an average of two ideal cardiovascular factors and rated their health around a mean (SD) of 6.8 (1.4). The mean number of ideal metrics met and the total cardiovascular health score displayed a graded association with increasing SRH ratings. Examining prevalence ratios, compared to participants with a lower SRH, those with a SRH ≥ 7 were more likely to be physically active (PR 1.79, 95% CI 1.30–2.45), more likely to have an optimal BMI (PR 1.24, 95% CI 1.16–1.33) and more likely to have their blood pressure controlled (PR 1.24, 95% CI 1.12–1.38). Conclusions The prevalence of ideal cardiovascular behaviors and factors is low in the community. The association between ideal cardiovascular health and self-rated health suggests potential opportunity to motivate and deliver health promotion interventions.