Association Between Lifestyle Factors and Self-Reported Cardiovascular Disease Among Canadian Adults Aged 35 Years and Older: A Study Based on Data From the Canadian Community Health Survey

TL;DR

This study finds that lifestyle and socioeconomic factors are strongly linked to cardiovascular disease in Canadian adults aged 35 and older.

Contribution

The study provides contemporary population-based evidence on CVD risk factors using the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey.

Findings

Older age, male sex, and obesity are independently associated with higher odds of CVD.

Lower household income and abstention from alcohol are linked to increased CVD risk.

Higher socioeconomic status and female sex are associated with lower CVD odds.

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Canada, with lifestyle behaviors and social factors playing a central role in disease risk. Contemporary population-based evidence is essential to inform prevention strategies using nationally representative data.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the association between lifestyle factors and self-reported CVD among Canadian adults using the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) public-use microdata file.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the 2022 CCHS public-use microdata file. The study included non-institutionalized adults aged 35 years and older. Self-reported CVD, defined as heart disease and/or stroke, was the outcome of interest. Lifestyle factors included smoking status, alcohol consumption, and body mass index, while age, sex, education, household income, diabetes, and province of residence were treated as covariates. Survey weights and 1,000 bootstrap replicate weights were applied to account for the complex sampling design. Descriptive analyses and survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression were performed.

Results: The final analytic sample comprised 44,977 respondents, representing 19,524,506 Canadians. Older age, male sex, overweight or obesity, diabetes, lower household income, and abstention from alcohol were independently associated with higher odds of CVD. Female sex and individuals with higher socioeconomic status demonstrated lower adjusted odds.

Conclusions: CVD among Canadian adults is strongly associated with age, metabolic health, and socioeconomic conditions. These findings highlight the continued importance of population-level prevention strategies targeting modifiable risk factors and social inequities.

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