I found this in The American Heart Associations Learning Library and thought it would be a great Article to share…

10 Things To Know AHA Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics “ 2010 Update
1. An estimated 81.1 million American adults (more than 1 in 3) have 1 or more types of CVD. Of these, more than 46% are age 60 or above.
2. An estimated 6.4 million Americans over age 20 have had a stroke. Each year about 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. Of these, more than 76% are first attacks.
3. The prevalence of having more than 2 risk factors for CVD was highest among African Americans and lowest among Asians (48.7% and 25.9% respectively).
4. Smoking among youth: In 2007, 21.3% of male students and 18% of female students grade 9-12 reported being current smokers. Smoking among adults: In 2008, 23.1% of men and 18.3% of women over age 18 years were smokers.
5. According to the 2008 NHIS survey, 59% of adults reported engaging in no vigorous physical activity (activity that causes heavy sweating and a large increase in breathing or heart rate).
6. In the 2007, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) of 9 through 12 graders, 31.8% of females and 18% of males had not engaged in 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) even once in the previous 7 days (MVPA is any activity that increased heart rate or breathing rate).
7. The annual Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update from the AHA is the most respected source of information for CVD and Stroke and associated disease conditions. It is a service to the community of caregivers, researchers, physicians, policymakers and the interested public.
8. Mortality rates reported in the Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2010 Update are per 100,000 people and adjusted to the 2000 standard population unless otherwise stated.
9. Statistics in this update are compiled from the most recent available data from many sources including the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES/NCHS) National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), among others.
10. Having met its year 2010 goals, the American Heart Association has committed to a stretch goal for the year 2020: to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20%, while reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20% by the year 2020.
Lloyd-Jones D, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2010 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2009: published online before print December 17, 2009, 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192667.
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ttp://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192667