Abstract
BACKGROUND: Life's Crucial 9 (LC9), an extension for Life's Essential 8 with the addition of psychological health, provides a new tool for assessing cardiovascular health. However, the association between LC9 and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in elderly hypertensive patients remains unclear. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among elderly hypertensive patients from the National Basic Public Health Service Programs in Jia County, Henan Province, from July 1 to August 31, 2023. The primary outcome was defined as a composite CVD (coronary heart disease and stroke). The LC9 consisted of 9 metrics (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep, psychological health, body mass index, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). The logistic regression model was established to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI of CVD across different LC9 groups. RESULTS: A total of 13,032 elderly hypertensive patients (mean age: 73.45) were analyzed. 5,664 (43.46%) patients were diagnosed with CVD (including 4,455 coronary heart disease and 2,062 stroke). The median (interquartile range) of the LC9 score in all patients, those without CVD, and those with CVD were 65.56 (58.33-72.22), 66.67 (59.44-73.33), and 64.44 (56.67-71.11), respectively. As the number of ideal LC9 metrics increased, the prevalence of CVD decreased (P(trend) <0.05). After adjusting for potential confounders, the OR (95%CI) of CVD in the LC9 score was 0.80 (0.76 - 0.83). Compared with the low group, the OR (95%CI) of CVD in the moderate group was 0.66 (0.58-0.76), and 0.49 (0.41-0.59) for the high group, respectively. Notably, there was a negative dose-response relationship between LC9 and its domain scores and CVD (P-nonlinear > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Higher LC9 scores and more ideal health metrics, including psychological health, are associated with lower CVD risk in elderly hypertensive patients, highlighting the need for policy efforts to strengthen primary healthcare, expand access to preventive services, and promote comprehensive CVH management in this high-risk population.