OBJECTIVE: Racial/ethnic health disparities are infrequently considered by nativity status in the United States, although the immigrant population has practically doubled since 1990. We investigated the modifying role of nativity status (US- vs. foreign-born) on racial/ethnic disparities in short sleep duration (<7 h), which has serious health consequences. DESIGN: Cross-sectional data from 23,505 US-born and 4,326 foreign-born adults aged ≥ 18 years from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey and multivariable log-linear regression were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) for reporting short sleep duration and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: After controlling for sociodemographic covariates, short sleep was more prevalent among blacks (PR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.21-1.37), Hispanics (PR 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.29), and Asians (PR 1.37, 95% CI: 1.16-1.61) than whites among US-born adults. Short sleep was more prevalent among blacks (PR 1.71, 95% CI: 1.38, 2.13) and Asians (PR 1.23, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.47) than whites among the foreign-born. CONCLUSION: Among both US- and foreign-born adults, blacks and Asians had a higher likelihood of short sleep compared to whites. US-born Hispanics, but not foreign-born Hispanics, had a higher likelihood than their white counterparts. Future research should aim to uncover mechanisms underlying these disparities.

BACKGROUND: Numbers and rates of hospitalizations and ED visits by patients with COPD are important metrics for surveillance purposes. The objective of this study was to examine trends in these rates from 2001 to 2012 among adults aged ≥ 18 years in the United States. METHODS: Data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) and Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) were examined for temporal trends in the numbers and rates of hospitalizations by patients with COPD or bronchiectasis, mean length of stay, in-hospital case-fatality rate, 30-day readmission rate, and numbers and rates of ED visits. RESULTS: The national number of discharges with COPD or bronchiectasis as the principal diagnosis was about 88,000 higher in 2012 than in 2001, but the age-adjusted rate of discharges did not change significantly (range, 242.7-286.0 per 100,000 population, P trend = .554). In contrast, hospitalization rates for common cardiovascular disorders, pneumonia, and lung cancer decreased significantly by 27% to 68%, whereas the mean charge doubled and mean cost increased by 40%. From 2006 to 2011, the numbers of ED visits increased from 1,480,363 to 1,787,612. The age-adjusted rate increased nonsignificantly from 654 to 725 per 100,000 population (P trend = .072). CONCLUSIONS: Despite many local and national efforts to reduce the burden of COPD, total hospitalizations and ED visits over the past decade have increased for COPD, and the age-adjusted rates of hospitalizations and ED visits for COPD or bronchiectasis have not changed significantly in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking and tooth loss are seldom considered concurrently as determinants of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study examined the multiplicative effect of self-reported tooth loss and cigarette smoking on COPD among US adults aged ≥ 18 years. METHODS: Data were from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n=439,637). Log-linear regression estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) for the interaction of combinations of tooth loss (0, 1-5, 6-31, and all) and cigarettes smoking status (never, former, and current smoker) with COPD after adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, educational attainment, employment, health insurance coverage, dental care utilization, and diabetes. RESULTS: Overall, 45.7% reported having ≥ 1 teeth removed from tooth decay or gum disease, 18.9% reported being current cigarette smokers, and 6.3% reported having COPD. Smoking and tooth loss from tooth decay or gum disease were associated with an increased likelihood of COPD. Compared to never smokers with no teeth removed, all combinations of smoking status categories and tooth loss had higher likelihood of COPD, with adjusted PRs ranging from 1.5 (never smoker with 1-5 teeth removed) to 6.5 (current smoker with all teeth removed) (all p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Tooth loss status significantly modifies the association between cigarette smoking and COPD. An increased understanding of causal mechanisms linking cigarette smoking, oral health, and COPD, particularly the role of tooth loss, infection, and subsequent inflammation, is essential to reducing the burden of COPD. Health providers should counsel their patients about cigarette smoking, preventive dental care, and COPD risk.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown that the waist circumference of children and adolescents has increased over the last 25 years. However, given the strong correlation between waist circumference and BMI, it is uncertain if the secular trends in waist circumference are independent of those in BMI. METHODS: We analyzed data from 6- to 19-year-olds who participated in the 1988-1994 through 2011-2012 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess whether the trends in waist circumference were independent of changes in BMI, race-ethnicity and age. RESULTS: Mean, unadjusted levels of waist circumference increased by 3.7 cm (boys) and 6.0 cm (girls) from 1988-94 through 2011-12, while mean BMI levels increased by 1.1 kg/m2 (boys) and 1.6 kg/m2 (girls). Overall, the proportional changes in mean levels of both waist circumference and BMI were fairly similar among boys (5.3%, waist vs. 5.6%, BMI) and girls (8.7%, waist vs. 7.7%, BMI). As assessed by the area under the curve, adjustment for BMI reduced the secular increases in waist circumference by about 75% (boys) and 50% (girls) beyond that attributable to age and race-ethnicity. There was also a race-ethnicity interaction (p < 0.001). Adjustment for BMI reduced the secular trend in waist circumference among non-Hispanic (NH) black children (boys and girls) to a greater extent (about 90%) than among other children. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that among children in the U.S., about 75% (boys) and 50% (girls) of the secular increases in waist circumference since 1988-94 can be accounted for by changes in BMI. The reasons for the larger independent effects among girls and among NH blacks are uncertain.

BACKGROUND: COPD imposes a large public health burden internationally and in the United States. The objective of this study was to examine trends in mortality from COPD among US adults from 1968 to 2011. METHODS: Data from the National Vital Statistics System from 1968 to 2011 for adults aged ≥ 25 years were accessed, and trends in mortality rates were examined with Joinpoint analysis. RESULTS: Among all adults, age-adjusted mortality rate rose from 29.4 per 100,000 population in 1968 to 67.0 per 100,000 population in 1999 and then declined to 63.7 per 100,000 population in 2011 (annual percentage change [APC] 2000-2011, -0.2%; 95% CI, -0.6 to 0.2). The age-adjusted mortality rate among men peaked in 1999 and then declined (APC 1999-2011, -1.1%; 95% CI, -1.4 to -0.7), whereas the age-adjusted mortality rate among women increased from 2000 to 2011, peaking in 2008 (APC 2000-2011, 0.4%; 95% CI, 0.0-0.9). Despite a narrowing of the sex gap, mortality rates in men continued to exceed those in women. Evidence of a decline in the APC was noted for black men (1999-2011, -1.5%; 95% CI, -2.1 to -1.0) and white men (1999-2011, -0.9%; 95% CI, -1.3 to -0.6), adults aged 55 to 64 years (1989-2011, -1.0%; 95% CI, -1.2 to -0.8), and adults aged 65 to 74 years (1999-2011, -1.2%; 95% CI, -1.6 to -0.9). CONCLUSIONS: In the United States, the mortality rate from COPD has declined since 1999 in men and some age groups but appears to be still rising in women, albeit at a reduced pace.

OBJECTIVE: Consider all metabolic syndrome (MetS) components [systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures, waist circumference, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), and fasting glucose] and gender/race differential risk when assessing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. METHODS: We estimated a gender- and race-specific continuous MetS score using structural equation modeling and tested its association with CVD mortality using data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III linked with the National Death Index. Cox proportional hazard regression tested the association adjusted for sociodemographic and behavior characteristics. RESULTS: For men, continuous MetS components associated with CVD mortality were SBP (hazard ratio = 1.50, 95% confidence interval = 1.14-1.96), DBP (1.48, 1.16-1.90), and TG (1.15, 1.12-1.16). In women, SBP (1.44, 1.27-1.63) and DBP (1.24, 1.02-1.51) were associated with CVD mortality. MetS score was not significantly associated with CVD mortality in men; but significant associations were found for all women (1.34, 1.06-1.68), non-Hispanic white women (1.29, 1.01-1.64), non-Hispanic black women (2.03, 1.12-3.69), and Mexican-American women (3.57, 2.21-5.76). Goodness-of-fit and concordance were overall better for models with the MetS score than MetS (yes/no). CONCLUSIONS: When assessing CVD mortality risk, MetS score provided additional information than MetS (yes/no).

BACKGROUND: Coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates have fallen dramatically over the past four decades in the Western world. However, recent data from the US and elsewhere suggest a plateauing of CHD incidence and mortality among young women. We therefore examined recent trends in CHD mortality rates in the US according to age and sex. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed mortality data between 1979 and 2011 for US adults ≥25 years. We calculated age-specific CHD mortality rates and compared annual percentage changes (EAPC) during three approximate decades of data (1979-1989, 1990-1999, and 2000-2011). We then used Joinpoint regression modeling to assess changes in trends over time, based on inflection points of the mortality rates. Adults aged 65+ years showed consistent mortality declines, which became even steeper after 2000 (women, -5.0% and men, -4.4%). In contrast, young men and women (aged <55 years) initially showed a clear decline in CHD mortality from 1979 until 1989 (EAPC -5.5% in men and -4.6% in women). However, the two subsequent decades saw stagnation with minimal improvement. Notably, young women demonstrated no improvements between 1990 and 1999 (EAPC +0.1%), and only -1% EAPC since 2000. Joinpoint analyses provided consistent results. CONCLUSIONS: The dramatic decline in CHD mortality since 1979 conceals major heterogeneities. CHD death rates in older groups are now falling steeply. However, young adults have experienced frustratingly small decreases in CHD mortality rates since 1990. The drivers of these major differences in CHD mortality trends by age and sex merit urgent study.

Little is known about trends in prescriptions for benzodiazepines among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our objective was to examine trends of office/outpatient department visits with a mention of a benzodiazepine made by patients aged ≥40 years with COPD in the United States. We used data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1999-2010. From 1999 to 2010, the estimated numbers of office/outpatient department visits with a benzodiazepine mentioned increased from 20.7 million to 43.2 million among all patients, from 684,000 to 1.5 million among patients with COPD, and from 20.0 million to 41.7 million among patients without COPD. Using all 12-years of data, patients with COPD were more likely to have a visit with a mention of a benzodiazepine than patients without COPD (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.27-1.71).The unadjusted percentage of all office/outpatient department visits by patients with COPD with a mention of a benzodiazepine increased from 4.6% during 1999-2002 to 10.2% during 2007-2010 (P trend < 0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, and race, the adjusted prevalence ratio for 2007-2010 compared with 1999-2002 was 2.26 (95% confidence interval: 1.60-3.17). Since 1999, the number and percentage of office/outpatient department visits with a mention of a benzodiazepine by patients with COPD and all patients may have increased in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Prior studies have documented disparities in short and long sleep duration, excessive daytime sleepiness, and insomnia by educational attainment and race/ethnicity separately. We examined both independent and interactive effects of these factors with a broader range of sleep indicators in a racially/ethnically diverse sample. METHODS: We analyzed 2012 National Health Interview Survey data from 33,865 adults aged ≥ 18 years. Sleep-related symptomatology included short sleep duration (≤6 hours), long sleep duration (≥9 hours), fatigue > 3 days, excessive daytime sleepiness, and insomnia. Bivariate analyses with chi-square tests and log-linear regression were performed. RESULTS: The overall age-adjusted prevalence was 29.1% for short sleep duration, 8.5% for long sleep duration, 15.1% for fatigue, 12.6% for excessive daytime sleepiness, and 18.8% for insomnia. Educational attainment and race/ethnicity were independently related to the five sleep-related symptoms. Among Whites, the likelihood of most sleep indicators increased as educational attainment decreased; relationships varied for the other racial/ethnic groups. For short sleep duration, the educational attainment-by-race/ethnicity interaction effect was significant for African Americans (p<0.0001), Hispanics (p<0.0001), and Asians (p=0.0233) compared to Whites. For long sleep duration, the interaction was significant for Hispanics only (p=0.0003). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate the importance of examining both educational attainment and race/ethnicity simultaneously to more fully understand disparities in sleep health. Increased understanding of the mechanisms linking sociodemographic factors to sleep health is needed to determine whether policies and programs to increase educational attainment may also reduce these disparities within an increasingly diverse population.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of progressive respiratory conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, characterized by airflow obstruction and symptoms such as shortness of breath, chronic cough, and sputum production. COPD is an important contributor to mortality and disability in the United States. Healthy People 2020 has several COPD-related objectives,* including to reduce activity limitations among adults with COPD. To assess the state-level prevalence of COPD and the association of COPD with various activity limitations among U.S. adults, CDC analyzed data from the 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Among U.S. adults in all 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), and two U.S. territories, 6.4% (an estimated 15.7 million adults) had been told by a physician or other health professional that they have COPD. Adults who reported having COPD were more likely to report being unable to work (24.3% versus 5.3%), having an activity limitation caused by health problems (49.6% versus 16.9%), having difficulty walking or climbing stairs (38.4% versus 11.3%), or using special equipment to manage health problems (22.1% versus 6.7%), compared with adults without COPD. Smokers who have been diagnosed with COPD are encouraged to quit smoking, which can slow the progression of the disease and reduce mobility impairment. In addition, COPD patients should consider participation in a pulmonary rehabilitation program that combines patient education and exercise training to address barriers to physical activity, such as respiratory symptoms and muscle wasting.

OBJECTIVE: Insomnia is a prevalent disorder in the United States and elsewhere. It has been associated with a range of somatic and psychiatric conditions, and adversely affects quality of life, productivity at work, and school performance. The objective of this study was to examine the trend in self-reported insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness among US adults. METHODS: We used data of participants aged ≥18 years from the National Health Interview Survey for the years 2002 (30,970 participants), 2007 (23,344 participants), and 2012 (34,509 participants). RESULTS: The unadjusted prevalence of insomnia or trouble sleeping increased from 17.5% (representing 37.5 million adults) in 2002 to 19.2% (representing 46.2 million adults) in 2012 (relative increase: +8.0%) (P trend <0.001). The age-adjusted prevalence increased from 17.4% to 18.8%. Significant increases were present among participants aged 18-24, 25-34, 55-64, and 65-74 years, men, women, whites, Hispanics, participants with diabetes, and participants with joint pain. Large relative increases occurred among participants aged 18-24 years (+30.9%) and participants with diabetes (+27.0%). The age-adjusted percentage of participants who reported regularly having excessive daytime sleepiness increased from 9.8% to 12.7% (P trend <0.001). Significant increases were present in most demographic groups. The largest relative increase was among participants aged 25-34 years (+49%). Increases were also found among participants with hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and joint pain. CONCLUSIONS: Given the deleterious effects of insomnia on health and performance, the increasing prevalence of insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness among US adults is a potentially troubling development.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is characterized by an inflammatory state of uncertain significance. The objective of this study was to examine the association between elevated inflammatory marker count (white blood cell count, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen) on all-cause mortality in a national sample of US adults with obstructive lung function (OLF). METHODS: Data for 1144 adults aged 40-79 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III Linked Mortality Study were analysed. Participants entered the study from 1988 to 1994, and mortality surveillance was conducted through 2006. White blood cell count and fibrinogen were dichotomized at their medians, and C-reactive protein was divided into >3 and ≤3 g/L. The number of elevated inflammatory markers was summed to create a score of 0-3. RESULTS: The age-adjusted distribution of the number of elevated inflammatory markers differed significantly among participants with normal lung function, mild OLF, and moderate or worse OLF. Of the three dichotomized markers, only fibrinogen was significantly associated with mortality among adults with any OLF (maximally adjusted hazard ratio 1.49; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.17-1.91). The maximally adjusted hazard ratios for having 1, 2 or 3 elevated markers were 1.17 (95% CI: 0.71-1.94), 1.44 (95% CI: 0.89-2.32) and 2.08 (95% CI: 1.29-3.37), respectively (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: An index of elevated inflammatory markers predicted all-cause mortality among adults with OLF.

BACKGROUND: Several studies showed that the waist circumference of US adults has increased over the past 25 y. However, because of the high correlation between waist circumference and body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)) (r approximately 0.9), it is uncertain if these trends in waist circumference exceed those expected on the basis of BMI changes over this time period. OBJECTIVE: We assessed whether the recent trend in waist circumference was independent of changes in BMI, age, and race-ethnicity. DESIGN: We analyzed data from the 1999-2000 through 2011-2012 cycles of the NHANES. RESULTS: The mean waist circumference increased by approximately 2 cm (in men) and approximately 4 cm (in women) in adults in the United States over this 12-y period. In men, this increase was very close to what would be expected because of the 0.7 increase in mean BMI over this period. However, in women, most of the secular increase in waist circumference appeared to be independent of changes in BMI (mean: 0.6), age, and race-ethnicity over the 12-y period. We estimated that, independent of changes in these covariates, the mean waist circumference increased by 0.2 cm in men and 2.4 cm in women from 1999-2000 through 2011-2012; only the latter estimate was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that, in women but not men, the recent secular trend in waist circumference is greater than what would be expected on the basis of changes in BMI. Possible reasons for this secular increase, along with sex differences, are uncertain.

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW), an indicator of anisocytosis, is a novel biomarker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality (1). Although findings are inconclusive, the pathophysiology linking RDW with morbidity/mortality may pertain to inflammation and/or disordered iron homeostasis (2). Consequently, identification of modifiable behaviors for prevention of unequal RDW, particularly in the general population, is needed. | Emerging research demonstrates that sedentary behavior (SB), even independently of physical activity, is predictive of CVD and premature mortality (3). Although results have been inconclusive, potential mechanisms for explaining this relationship include SB-induced inflammation and modulation of metabolic risk (4). Consequently, it is plausible to suggest that SB may be related to CVD and mortality via SB-induced anisocytosis. However, to our knowledge, no study has yet examined the association between SB and RDW. Identification of such an association may help to delineate a potential mechanism through which SB may influence CVD. Therefore, we decided to evaluate this possible association.

Risk assessment has become an important tool to assess an individual’s future risk for cardiovascular disease. Recently, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) released a report that presented updated risk equations, the Pooled Cohort Risk Equations, for cardiovascular disease.1 Race and ethnicity-specific estimates were novel to the new risk equations. Because changes over time in predicted cardiovascular risk using these new risk equations have not been examined, our objectives were to (1) examine the trend in predicted 10-year cardiovascular risk using the new ACC/AHA Pooled Cohort Risk Equations and (2) estimate the potential for risk reduction by optimizing levels of cardiovascular risk factors.

BACKGROUND: The association between sleep duration and predicted cardiovascular risk has been poorly characterized. The objective of this study was to examine the association between self-reported sleep duration and predicted 10-year cardiovascular risk among US adults. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data from 7690 men and nonpregnant women who were aged 40 to 79 years, who were free of self-reported heart disease and stroke, and who participated in a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2012 were analyzed. Sleep duration was self-reported. Predicted 10-year cardiovascular risk was calculated using the pooled cohort equations. Among the included participants, 13.1% reported sleeping ≤5 hours, 24.4% reported sleeping 6 hours, 31.9% reported sleeping 7 hours, 25.2% reported sleeping 8 hours, 4.0% reported sleeping 9 hours, and 1.3% reported sleeping ≥10 hours. After adjustment for covariates, geometric mean-predicted 10-year cardiovascular risk was 4.0%, 3.6%, 3.4%, 3.5%, 3.7%, and 3.7% among participants who reported sleeping ≤5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and ≥10 hours per night, respectively (PWald chi-square<0.001). The age-adjusted percentages of predicted cardiovascular risk ≥20% for the 6 intervals of sleep duration were 14.5%, 11.9%, 11.0%, 11.4%, 11.8%, and 16.3% (PWald chi-square=0.022). After maximal adjustment, however, sleep duration was not significantly associated with cardiovascular risk ≥20% (PWald chi-square=0.698). CONCLUSIONS: Mean-predicted 10-year cardiovascular risk was lowest among adults who reported sleeping 7 hours per night and increased as participants reported sleeping fewer and more hours.

BACKGROUND: Considerable uncertainty remains about obstructive lung function (OLF) in adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS). The aim of the present study was to examine pulmonary function status in adults with and without MetS. METHODS: We used data from 3109 participants aged >= 20 years of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2010. Subjects' MetS status was established on the basis of the 2009 harmonizing definition. Participants received spirometry. RESULTS: After age adjustment, 79.3% (SE 1.1) of participants with MetS had normal lung function, 8.7% (0.9) had restrictive lung function (RLF), 7.1% (0.8) had mild OLF, and 4.8% (0.6) had moderate OLF or worse. Among participants without MetS, these estimates were 78.7% (1.2), 3.9% (0.6), 10.9% (1.1), and 6.4% (0.8), respectively. After multiple adjustment, participants with MetS were more likely to have RLF (adjusted prevalence ratio [ aPR] 2.20; 95% confidence interval [ CI] 1.67, 2.90) and less likely to have any OLF (aPR 0.73; 95% CI 0.62, 0.86) than those without MetS. Furthermore, participants with MetS had lower mean levels of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1 % predicted, forced vital capacity (FVC), and FVC % predicted, but a higher FEV1/FVC ratio than participants without MetS. Mean levels of FEV1, FEV1 % predicted, FVC, and FVC % predicted declined significantly, but not the FEV1 /FVC ratio, as the number of components increased. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with adults without MetS, spirometry is more likely to show a restrictive pattern and less likely to show an obstructive pattern among adults with MetS.

Despite major therapeutic advances, the public health burden associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) remains enormous with approximately 525 000 people predicted to have a new myocardial infarction (MI) in 2013, ≈15.4 million estimated to be living with CHD in 2013, and ≈1 346 000 people hospitalized in 2009 for CHD.1 | There are a variety of ways to measure the population impact of a disease including prevalence, associated morbidity and mortality, quality of life, health care utilization, and economic costs, and one of the most critical is disease incidence. From a surveillance perspective in the United States, the national vital statistics data system provides information about the death rate for CHD, various national data systems provide estimates of hospitalizations for CHD and outpatient visits for CHD, and national data systems provide data about levels of risk factors for CHD. The data systems allowing for estimates of prevalent CHD are less robust as they rely primarily on self‐reported information. | A particularly glaring gap in our knowledge base has been the lack of nationally representative data to measure the incidence of CHD. Measuring incidence of a disease is particularly salient because incidence (1) is a key measure in helping to define the burden of a disease and identify high‐risk populations, (2) provides valuable information in helping decision makers set public health priorities, and (3) is a more relevant measure to assess the collective influence of risk factors in a population than prevalence. Consequently, tracking incidence of a disease in populations can: (1) yield timely data about potentially unfavorable changes in incidence that may prompt a search for explanations and corrective actions to redirect the course of a disease in a population, (2) provide valuable feedback in assessing efforts to control a disease, and (3) generate useful information for updating priorities regarding health promotion and disease prevention. The reasons why a national surveillance system to track CHD incidence in the United States has never been developed are not entirely clear but may relate to the cost and complexity of implementing such a system.

Each year, the American Heart Association (AHA), in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies, brings together the most up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke, other vascular diseases, and their risk factors and presents them in its Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update. The Statistical Update is a critical resource for researchers, clinicians, healthcare policy makers, media professionals, the lay public, and many others who seek the best available national data on heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular disease–related morbidity and mortality and the risks, quality of care, use of medical procedures and operations, and costs associated with the management of these diseases in a single document. Indeed, since 1999, the Statistical Update has been cited >10 500 times in the literature, based on citations of all annual versions. In 2012 alone, the various Statistical Updates were cited ≈3500 times (data from Google Scholar). In recent years, the Statistical Update has undergone some major changes with the addition of new chapters and major updates across multiple areas, as well as increasing the number of ways to access and use the information assembled. | | For this year’s edition, the Statistics Committee, which produces the document for the AHA, updated all of the current chapters with the most recent nationally representative data and inclusion of relevant articles from the literature over the past year. This year’s edition includes a new chapter on peripheral artery disease, as well as new data on the monitoring and benefits of cardiovascular health in the population, with additional new focus on evidence-based approaches to changing behaviors, implementation strategies, and implications of the AHA’s 2020 Impact Goals. Below are a few highlights from this year’s Update.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is characterised by oxidative stress, but little is known about the associations between antioxidant status and all-cause mortality in adults with this disease. The objective of the present study was to examine the prospective associations between concentrations of alpha- and beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, lycopene, Se, vitamin C and alpha-tocopherol and all-cause mortality among US adults with obstructive lung function. Data collected from 1492 adults aged 20-79 years with obstructive lung function in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1988-94) were used. Through 2006, 629 deaths were identified during a median follow-up period of 14 years. After adjustment for demographic variables, the concentrations of the following antioxidants modelled as continuous variables were found to be inversely associated with all-cause mortality among adults with obstructive lung function: alpha-carotene (P= 0.037); beta-carotene (P= 0.022); cryptoxanthin (P= 0.022); lutein/zeaxanthin (P= 0.004); total carotenoids (P= 0.001); vitamin C (P< 0.001). In maximally adjusted models, only the concentrations of lycopene (P= 0.013) and vitamin C (P= 0.046) were found to be significantly and inversely associated with all-cause mortality. No effect modification by sex was detected, but the association between lutein/zeaxanthin concentrations and all-cause mortality varied by smoking status (P interaction= 0.048). The concentrations of lycopene and vitamin C were inversely associated with all-cause mortality in this cohort of adults with obstructive lung function.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among residential care facility (RCF) residents in the United States, and to compare patterns of hospital visits and comorbidities with residents without COPD. METHOD: Resident data from the 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities were analyzed. Medical history and information on past-year hospital visits for 8,089 adult residents were obtained from interviews with RCF staff. RESULTS: COPD prevalence was 12.4%. Compared with residents without COPD, emergency department visits or overnight hospital stays in the previous year were more prevalent (p < .05) among residents with COPD. Less than 3% of residents with COPD had no comorbidities. Arthritis, depression, congestive heart failure (CHF), diabetes, coronary heart disease, and asthma were more common (p < .05) among residents with COPD than those without COPD, but Alzheimer's disease was less common. DISCUSSION: COPD is associated with more emergency department visits, hospital stays, and comorbidities among RCF residents.

PURPOSE: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) before age 18 have been repeatedly associated with several chronic diseases in adulthood such as depression, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke. We examined sex-specific relationships between individual ACEs and the number of ACEs with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the general population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 26,546 women and 19,015 men aged ≥18 years in five states of the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed. We used log-linear regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the relationship of eight ACEs with COPD after adjustment for age group, race/ethnicity, marital status, educational attainment, employment, asthma history, health insurance coverage, and smoking status. RESULTS: Some 63.8% of women and 62.2% of men reported ≥1 ACE. COPD was reported by 4.9% of women and 4.0% of men. In women, but not in men, there was a higher likelihood of COPD associated with verbal abuse (PR =1.30, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.61), sexual abuse (PR =1.69, 95% CI: 1.36, 2.10), living with a substance abusing household member (PR =1.49, 95% CI: 1.23, 1.81), witnessing domestic violence (PR =1.40, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.72), and parental separation/divorce (PR =1.47, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.80) during childhood compared to those with no individual ACEs. Reporting ≥5 ACEs (PR =2.08, 95% CI: 1.55, 2.80) compared to none was associated with a higher likelihood of COPD among women only. CONCLUSION: ACEs are related to COPD, especially among women. These findings underscore the need for further research that examines sex-specific differences and the possible mechanisms linking ACEs and COPD. This work adds to a growing body of research suggesting that ACEs may contribute to health problems later in life and suggesting a need for program and policy solutions.

Waist circumference is a simple and valuable anthropometric measure of total and intra-abdominal body fat.1 The clinical guidelines from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults recommend that clinicians assess waist circumference of their patients.2 Although the prevalence of abdominal obesity has increased in the United States through 2008,3 its trend in recent years is unknown. Therefore, our objective was to provide recent information about the trends in mean waist circumference and prevalence of abdominal obesity among adults in the United States from 1999 to 2012.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in using the 2010 US Census data for age adjustment after the Census data are officially released. This report discusses the rationale, procedures, demonstrations, and caveats of age adjustment using the 2010 US Census data. METHODS: Empirical data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the 2010 US Census age composition were used in demonstrations of computing the age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes by race/ethnicity, across various geographic regions, and over time. RESULTS: The use of the 2010 US Census data yielded higher age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes than using the 2000 projected US population data. The differences persisted across geographic regions, among racial/ethnic groups, and over time. Sixteen age compositions were generated to facilitate the use of the 2010 Census data in age adjustment. The SAS survey procedures and SUDAAN software programs yielded similar age-adjusted prevalence estimates of diagnosed diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Using the 2010 US Census data tends to yield a higher age-adjusted measure than using the 2000 projected US population data. Consistent use of a standard population and age composition is recommended once they are chosen for age adjustment.

BACKGROUND: The question of how smoking, COPD, and other chronic diseases are related remains unresolved. Therefore, we examined relationships between smoking, COPD, and 10 other chronic diseases and assessed the prevalence of co-morbid chronic conditions among people with COPD. METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 405,856 US adults aged 18 years or older in the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We used log-linear regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for these relationships adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, educational attainment, annual household income, and health insurance coverage. RESULTS: Overall, 17.5% reported being current cigarette smokers, 6.9% reported having COPD, and 71.2% reported another chronic condition. After age-adjustment, prevalence of COPD was 14.1% (adjusted PR = 3.9; 95% CI: 3.7, 4.1) among current smokers and 7.1% (adjusted PR = 2.5; 95% CI: 2.4, 2.7) among former smokers compared to 2.9% among never smokers. The most common chronic conditions among current smokers after age-adjustment were high cholesterol (36.7%), high blood pressure (34.6%), arthritis (29.4%), depression (27.4%), and asthma (16.9%). In separate multivariable models, smoking and COPD were associated with each of the 10 other chronic conditions (p < 0.05), which also included cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and stroke; COPD modified associations between smoking and co-morbidities, while smoking did not modify associations between COPD and co-morbidities. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm previous evidence and highlight the continuing importance of comprehensive care coordination for people with COPD and co-morbid chronic conditions and also tobacco prevention and control strategies.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the associations between serum concentrations of vitamin D (25(OH)D) and all-cause mortality among US adults defined by lung function (LF) status, particularly among adults with obstructive LF (OLF). METHODS: Data from 10 795 adults aged 20-79 years (685 with restrictive LF (RLF) and 1309 with OLF) who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994), had a spirometric examination, and were followed through 2006 were included. RESULTS: During 14.2 years of follow-up, 1792 participants died. Mean adjusted concentrations of 25(OH)D were 75.0 nmol/l (s.e. 0.7) for adults with normal LF (NLF), 70.4 nmol/l (s.e. 1.8) for adults with RLF, 75.5 nmol/l (s.e. 1.5) for adults with mild obstruction and 71.0 nmol/l (s.e. 1.9) among adults with moderate or worse obstruction (P=0.030). After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors, clinical variables and prevalent chronic conditions, a concentration of <25 nmol/l compared with 75 nmol//l was associated with mortality only among adults with NLF (hazard ratio (HR) 1.76; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03, 3.00). Among participants with OLF, adjusted HRs were 0.65 (95% CI 0.29, 1.48), 1.21 (95% CI 0.89, 1.66) and 0.97 (95% CI 0.78, 1.19) among those with concentrations <25, 25-<50 and 50-<75 nmol/l, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline concentrations of 25(OH)D did not significantly predict mortality among US adults with impaired LF.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine recent national trends in outpatient visits for sleep related difficulties in the United States and prescriptions for sleep medications. DESIGN: Trend analysis. SETTING: Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1999 to 2010. PARTICIPANTS: Patients age 20 y or older. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The number of office visits with insomnia as the stated reason for visit increased from 4.9 million visits in 1999 to 5.5 million visits in 2010 (13% increase), whereas the number with any sleep disturbance ranged from 6,394,000 visits in 1999 to 8,237,000 visits in 2010 (29% increase). The number of office visits for which a diagnosis of sleep apnea was recorded increased from 1.1 million visits in 1999 to 5.8 million visits in 2010 (442% increase), whereas the number of office visits for which any sleep related diagnosis was recorded ranged from 3.3 million visits in 1999 to 12.1 million visits in 2010 (266% increase). The number of prescriptions for any sleep medication ranged from 5.3 in 1999 to 20.8 million in 2010 (293% increase). Strong increases in the percentage of office visits resulting in a prescription for nonbenzodiazepine sleep medications ( approximately 350%), benzodiazepine receptor agonists ( approximately 430%), and any sleep medication ( approximately 200%) were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Striking increases in the number and percentage of office visits for sleep related problems and in the number and percentage of office visits accompanied by a prescription for a sleep medication occurred from 1999-2010.

Findings in published reports have suggested that drowsy driving is a factor each year in as many as 7,500 fatal motor vehicle crashes (approximately 25%) in the United States. CDC previously reported that, in 2009-2010, 4.2% of adult respondents in 19 states and the District of Columbia reported having fallen asleep while driving at least once during the previous 30 days. Adults who reported usually sleeping ≤6 hours per day, snoring, or unintentionally falling asleep during the day were more likely to report falling asleep while driving compared with adults who did not report these sleep patterns. However, limited information has been published on the association between drowsy driving and other risk behaviors that might contribute to crash injuries or fatalities. Therefore, CDC analyzed responses to survey questions regarding drowsy driving among 92,102 respondents in 10 states and Puerto Rico to the 2011-2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys. The results showed that 4.0% reported falling asleep while driving during the previous 30 days. In addition to known risk factors, drowsy driving was more prevalent among binge drinkers than non-binge drinkers or abstainers and also more prevalent among drivers who sometimes, seldom, or never wear seatbelts while driving or riding in a car, compared with those who always or almost always wear seatbelts. Drowsy driving did not vary significantly by self-reported smoking status. Interventions designed to reduce binge drinking and alcohol-impaired driving, to increase enforcement of seatbelt use, and to encourage adequate sleep and seeking treatment for sleep disorders might contribute to reductions in drowsy driving crashes and related injuries.

BACKGROUND: The extent to which patients with COPD are receiving indicated treatment with medications to improve lung function and recent trends in the use of these medications is not well documented in the United States. The objective of this study was to examine trends in prescription medications for COPD among adults in the United States from 1999 to 2010. METHODS: We performed a trend analysis using data from up to 1426 participants aged ≥20 years with self-reported COPD from six national surveys (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2010). RESULTS: During 2009-2010, the age-adjusted percentage of participants who used any kind of medication was 44.2%. Also during 2009-2010, the most commonly used medications were short-acting agents (36.0%), inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) (18.3%), and LABAs (16.7%). The use of long-acting beta-2 agonists (LABAs) (p for trend <0.001), ICS (p for trend = 0.013) increased significantly over the 12-year period. Furthermore, the use of tiotropium increased rapidly during this period (p for trend <0.001). For the years 2005-2010, the use of LABAs, ICS and tiotropium increased with age. Compared with whites, Mexican Americans were less likely to use short-acting agents, LABAs, ICS, tiotropium, and any kind of COPD medication. Among participants aged 20-79 years with spirometry measurements during 2007-2010, the use of any medication was reported by 19.0% of those with a moderate/severe obstructive impairment and by 72.6% of those with self-reported COPD and any obstructive impairment. CONCLUSION: The percentages of adults with COPD who reported having various classes of prescription medications that improve airflow limitations changed markedly from 1999-2000 to 2009-2010. However, many adults with COPD did not report having recommended prescription medications.

A variety of small-area statistical models have been developed for health surveys, but none are sufficiently flexible to generate small-area estimates (SAEs) to meet data needs at different geographic levels. We developed a multilevel logistic model with both state- and nested county-level random effects for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using 2011 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We applied poststratification with the (decennial) US Census 2010 counts of census-block population to generate census-block-level SAEs of COPD prevalence which could be conveniently aggregated to all other census geographic units, such as census tracts, counties, and congressional districts. The model-based SAEs and direct survey estimates of COPD prevalence were quite consistent at both the county and state levels. The Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.99 at the state level and ranged from 0.88 to 0.95 at the county level. Our extended multilevel regression modeling and poststratification approach could be adapted for other geocoded national health surveys to generate reliable SAEs for population health outcomes at all administrative and legislative geographic levels of interest in a scalable framework.