Heart Attacks and Cardiovascular Health

A recent suvey conducted by Gallup-Healthways ranked almost 200 U.S. cities by the percent of residents who reported ever having a heart attack. Percentages range from a healthy 1.3% to a worrisome 8.8%. Read on to see how your city ranked.

Cardiovascular disease accounts for 34% of deaths in America, and common risk factors can dramatically increase the risk of disease, such as diabetes. However, studies show that even a little bit of effort can improve your heart health! Read more for some heart health tips.

Heart Health Tips

• Quit smoking! If you smoke—and even if you don't—, hopefully you're aware of the multitude of health issues that it can cause. Not only does it cause 90% of all lung cancer deaths, but it increases the risk of heart disease or stroke by 2-4 times.
• Watch your blood pressure. When your blood pressure is too high, it means your heart is working overtime to deliver oxygen to the rest of your body. Over 50 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure, one of the common risk factors for heart disease, but in most cases this can easily be controlled with exercise and healthy eating habits. For some people, blood pressure medication is also an option.
• Fit in some exercise—even just a little.. The most predictable advice when it comes to health is always exercise, and even though many people don't want to hear it, it's common advice because it works. Even if the most you have time for is a 15 minute walk down the hallways during your lunch break, it helps!
• The second most predictable advice, watch what you eat. You should avoid saturated fats and high-cholesterol foods. But like exercise, you don't necessarily have to go the whole way and quit the sugar and fats altogether; even just limiting the junk food to a couple days (and tossing in some fruits and vegetables instead) can improve your energy, letting you get even more out of your day.
• Reduce your stress. This is probably something easier said than done, but if you find yourself worrying or getting upset a lot, you may need to take a couple days to relax. Sleep, spending time with friends and loved ones, exercising, and volunteering are just a few activities that can help people reduce their stress.

How does your City Rank in Heart Health?

Below is the full list of the 190 cities that were recorded in the survey and the reported percentage of people who have suffered a heart attack some time in their lives.

How does your city rank? What do you think this might say about your location? How might you incorporate some of our heart health tips in your life?

1. Boulder, Colorado 1.3
2. Ann Arbor, Michigan 1.3
3. Tallahassee, Florida 1.5
4. Provo–Orem, Utah 1.6
5. Austin–Round Rock, Texas 1.8
6. San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, California 1.9
7. Visalia–Porterville, California 2.0
8. San Luis Obispo–Paso Robles–Arroyo Grande, California 2.1
9. Gainesville, Florida 2.1
10. Green Bay, Wisconsin 2.2
11. Kalamazoo–Portage, Michigan 2.2
12. Salt Lake City, Utah 2.2
13. San Diego–Carlsbad, California 2.2
14. Jackson, Mississippi 2.3
15. Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura, California 2.3
16. McAllen–Edinburg–Mission, Texas 2.3
17. Sacramento—Roseville—Arden–Arcade, California 2.4
18. Medford, Oregon 2.4
19. Amarillo, Texas 2.4
20. Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–Virginia–Maryland–West Virginia 2.4
21. San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward, California 2.4
22. Grand Rapids–Wyoming, Michigan 2.5
23. Santa Cruz–Watsonville, California 2.5
24. Vallejo–Fairfield, California 2.6
25. Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, California 2.6
26. Colorado Springs, Colorado 2.6
27. Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, Washington 2.6
28. Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, Minnesota–Wisconsin 2.7
29. Charleston–North Charleston, South Carolina 2.7
30. Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, Illinois–Indiana–Wisconsin 2.8
31. Springfield, Massachusetts 2.8
32. Raleigh, North Carolina 2.8
33. Madison, Wisconsin 2.9
34. Greeley, Colorado 2.9
35. Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas 2.9
36. Bakersfield, California 2.9
37. Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton, Pennsylvania–New Jersey 3.0
38. Fort Collins, Colorado 3.0
39. Trenton, New Jersey 3.0
40. Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, Texas 3.0
41. Fresno, California 3.0
42. Santa Maria–Santa Barbara, California 3.0
43. Ogden–Clearfield, Utah 3.0
44. Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, Oregon–Washington 3.0
45. Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, Colorado 3.1
46. Salinas, California 3.1
47. Richmond, Virginia 3.1
48. New Haven–Milford, Connecticut 3.1
49. New York–Newark–Jersey City, New York–New Jersey–Pennsylvania 3.1
50. Lexington–Fayette, Kentucky 3.1
51. Des Moines–West Des Moines, Iowa 3.1
52. Huntsville, Alabama 3.2
53. Rockford, Illinois 3.2
54. Syracuse, New York 3.2
55. Omaha–Council Bluffs, Nebraska–Iowa 3.2
56. Greensboro–High Point, North Carolina 3.2
57. Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, Arkansas–Missouri 3.2
58. Boston–Cambridge–Newton, Massachusetts–New Hampshire 3.2
59. Peoria, Illinois 3.2
60. Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk, Connecticut 3.3
61. Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell, Georgia 3.3
62. Milwaukee–Waukesha–West Allis, Wisconsin 3.3
63. Manchester–Nashua, New Hampshire 3.3
64. Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia, North Carolina–South Carolina 3.4
65. Albuquerque, New Mexico 3.4
66. Hartford–West Hartford–East Hartford, Connecticut 3.4
67. Lancaster, Pennsylvania 3.4
68. Tucson, Arizona 3.4
69. Salem, Oregon 3.4
70. Eugene, Oregon 3.4
71. Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, Texas 3.4
72. Spokane–Spokane Valley, Washington 3.4
73. Kennewick–Richland, Washington 3.5
74. Reading, Pennsylvania 3.5
75. Binghamton, New York 3.5
76. Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, Virginia–North Carolina 3.5
77. Columbia, South Carolina 3.5
78. Jacksonville, Florida 3.6
79. Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida 3.6
80. Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale, Arizona 3.6
81. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii 3.6
82. Worcester, Massachusetts–Connecticut 3.6
83. Cedar Rapids, Iowa 3.6
84. Rochester, New York 3.6
85. Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario, California 3.6
86. Salisbury, Maryland–Delaware 3.7
87. Savannah, Georgia 3.7
88. Roanoke, Virginia 3.7
89. San Antonio–New Braunfels, Texas 3.8
90. Port St. Lucie, Florida 3.8
91. Nashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, Tennessee 3.8
92. Baton Rouge, Louisiana 3.8
93. Charlottesville, Virginia 3.8
94. Akron, Ohio 3.8
95. Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach, Florida 3.8
96. Reno, Nevada 3.9
97. Kansas City, Missouri–Kansas 3.9
98. Montgomery, Alabama 3.9
99. Cleveland–Elyria, Ohio 3.9
100. Corpus Christi, Texas 3.9
101. Stockton–Lodi, California 3.9
102. Portland–South Portland, Maine 3.9
103. Toledo, Ohio 4.0
104. York–Hanover, Pennsylvania 4.0
105. Philadephia–Camden–Wilmington, Pennsylvania–New Jersey–Delaware–Maryland 4.0
106. Harrisburg–Carlisle, Pennsylvania 4.0
107. St. Louis, Missouri–Illinois 4.0
108. Erie, Pennsylvania 4.0
109. Little Rock–N Little Rock–Conway, Arkansas 4.0
110. Lafayette, Louisiana 4.0
111. Santa Rosa, California 4.1
112. Durham–Chapel Hill, North Carolina 4.1
113. Davenport–Moline–Rock Island, Iowa–Illinois 4.1
114. Boise City–Nampa, Idaho 4.1
115. Augusta–Richmond County, Georgia–South Carolina 4.2
116. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 4.2
117. Albany–Schenectady–Troy, New York 4.2
118. New Orleans–Metairie, Louisiana 4.2
119. Greenville–Anderson–Mauldin, South Carolina 4.2
120. Clarksville, Tennessee–Kentucky 4.2
121. Lincoln, Nebraska 4.3
122. Spartanburg, South Carolina 4.3
123. Anchorage, Alaska 4.3
124. Wichita, Kansas 4.4
125. Baltimore–Columbia–Towson, Maryland 4.4
126. Springfield, Missouri 4.4
127. Winston–Salem, North Carolina 4.4
128. Lynchburg, Virginia 4.5
129. Flint, Mississippi 4.5
130. Tulsa, Oklahoma 4.5
131. Fort Wayne, Indiana 4.5
132. Evansville, Indiana–Kentucky 4.5
133. Wilmington, North Carolina 4.6
134. Bremerton–Silverdale, Washington 4.6
135. Bellingham, Washington 4.6
136. El Paso, Texas 4.6
137. Louisville–Jefferson County, Kentucky–Indiana 4.6
138. Columbus, Ohio 4.7
139. Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, Michigan 4.7
140. Modesto, California 4.7
141. Daphne–Fairhope–Foley, Alabama 4.7
142. Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, Florida 4.7
143. Mobile, Alabama 4.8
144. Las Vegas–Henderson–Paradise, Nevada 4.8
145. Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent, Florida 4.8
146. Dayton, Ohio 4.8
147. Asheville, North Carolina 4.8
148. Cincinnati, Ohio–Kentucky–Indiana 4.9
149. Utica–Rome, New York 4.9
150. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 4.9
151. Olympia, Washington 4.9
152. Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi 5.0
153. Scranton—Wilkes–Barre—Hazleton, Pennsylvania 5.0
154. Providence–Warwick, Rhode Island–Massachusetts 5.0
155. Memphis, Tennesse–Mississippi–Arkansas 5.0
156. Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, Florida 5.0
157. Lansing–East Lansing, Michigan 5.0
158. Fayetteville, North Carolina 5.0
159. Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida 5.0
160. Indianapolis–Carmel–Anderson, Indiana 5.1
161. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts 5.1
162. Topeka, Kansas 5.1
163. Canton–Massillon, Ohio 5.1
164. Killeen–Temple, Texas 5.1
165. Norwich–New London, Connecticut 5.3
166. Prescott, Arizona 5.4
167. Chattanooga, Tennessee–Georgia 5.4
168. South Bend–Mishawaka, Indiana–Michigan 5.4
169. Naples–Immokalee–Marco Island, Florida 5.4
170. Birmingham–Hoover, Alabama 5.5
171. Columbus, Georgia–Alabama 5.5
172. Myrtle Beach–Conway–North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina–North Carolina 5.7
173. Shreveport–Bossier City, Louisiana 5.8
174. Knoxville, Tennessee 5.9
175. Buffalo–Cheektowaga–Niagara Falls, New York 6.0
176. Cape Coral–Fort Myers, Florida 6.2
177. Ocala, Florida 6.3
178. Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, North Carolina 6.3
179. Lakeland–Winter Haven, Florida 6.4
180. Burlington–South Burlington, Vermont 6.5
181. Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, Tennessee–Virginia 6.8
182. North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton, Florida 7.0
183. Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma 7.1
184. Chico, California 7.1
185. Lake Havasu City–Kingman, Arizona 7.2
186. Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, Ohio–Pennsylvania 7.4
187. Huntington–Ashland, West Virginia–Kentucky–Ohio 7.7
188. Duluth, Minnesota–Wisconsin 7.7
189. Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, Florida 7.9
190. Charleston, West Virginia 8.8

References & More Reading

• http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/topics/coronary-intervention-surgery/it-takes-little-physical-effort-improve-heart-health
• http://heart.arizona.edu/heart-health/prevent-heart-attacks/10-tips
• http://www.livescience.com/56637-full-list-us-cities-heart-attacks.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/