Skip to main content

U.S. Prevalence of Adverse CVD Outcomes Varies With Income, Education

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on March 14, 2025.

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.

Abstract/Full Text

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

Dobbs Decision Has Negatively Impacted Access to OB/GYN Practitioners

FRIDAY, March 14, 2025 -- The Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization (Dobbs) decision was associated with a moderate but significant relative reduction in obstetrics and...

Persistent Postconcussion Changes Seen in Cerebral Blood Flow

THURSDAY, March 13, 2025 -- For athletes with concussion, persistent postconcussion changes are seen in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and white matter at return-to-play (RTP) and up...

Adults Prefer Messages Written by AI in Communication With Doctors

THURSDAY, March 13, 2025 -- Adults express a mild preference for messages written by artificial intelligence (AI) versus humans in patient-clinician communication, but they have...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.