Just 1 in 9 people in France has optimal heart health, government agency says

Only 11 per cent of the French population has optimal cardiovascular health, a new study by the country’s public health agency has found.

The data also revealed that there were stark disparities across the population, with the rate falling to 4 per cent among people with a secondary education while 21 per cent of people with a high education level were in good health.

“This important work confirms the major public health burden of [cardiovascular and neurovascular disease] on healthcare in France,” Dr Caroline Semaille, the director general of Public Health France, said in a statement.

Cardiovascular and neurovascular diseases were the second leading cause of death in the country in 2022. 

Gender differences

“Two points stand out for me: inequalities are still high, and women's health is deteriorating at a worrying rate,” she added.

Women are increasingly adopting behaviors that are detrimental to their health, such as smoking, which was more prevalent among women between the ages of 45 and 64.

They also tended to be more sedentary, with 47 per cent of them not meeting the physical activity recommendations compared to 29 per cent of men. 

The epidemiological briefing, published this week, also noted that women are less often hospitalised in intensive care and suffer more acute complications, with higher early mortality.

The cardiovascular health was calculated based on the Life’s Simple 7 score developed by the American Heart Association.

“Adopting healthier behaviours, early diagnosis, managing modifiable risk factors and preventing complications are all essential actions to reduce the impact of these largely preventable diseases,” Semaille said.

The seven metrics are smoking status, body weight (usually measured by Body Mass Index), physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose.

The association recently added sleep as an eighth metric.

To mitigate the risks of cardiovascular disease, experts recommend exercising for at least 150 minutes per week (only 75 minutes per week if the activity is intense), maintaining a healthy diet, avoiding tobacco, and monitoring cholesterol and blood sugar levels.