Cardiovascular Deaths

Cardiovascular Deaths is measured using a three-year average, age- and race-adjusted death rate due to heart disease, strokes and other cardiovascular disease. The effect of cardiovascular disease on health was measured using mortality data due to the improved accuracy of the data and the ability to adjust for age and race. This measure replaces the previous heart disease measure, Heart Deaths, and enlarges the scope of deaths included in the measure, thus counteracting some of the narrowing in scope when the risk for heart disease was altered to the prevalence of obesity, a change also occurring in this Edition.

The use of mortality data may not reflect the full impact of cardiovascular disease. Data also do not reflect new procedures to treat heart disease and prolong the useful lives of patients.

Table 31 displays the 2004 ranks, based on 1999 to 2001 data (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This component varies from a low of 251.6 deaths from cardiovascular disease per 100,000 population in Hawaii to 411.6 deaths per 100,000 population in Oklahoma. The national average is 336.6 deaths per 100,000 population, down from 343.6 deaths per 100,000 population last year and 406.3 deaths per 100,000 population in 1990.

In the last year, the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease decreased by more than 15 deaths per 100,000 population in Wyoming, Idaho and Hawaii. Utah was the only state to experience an increase, by 1.6 deaths per 100,000 population. Since 1990, the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease has declined by more than 100 deaths per 100,000 population in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont. Oklahoma has experienced the least improvement in the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease, declining by only 12.7 deaths per 100,000 population.

Data prior to 1995 not shown.

¹ Source: 1999 to 2001 data, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
*See Methodology for further discussion.