LIFE’S SIMPLE 7: DOES IT APPLY TO SLUM-DWELLING WOMEN IN MYSURU, INDIA?

Abstract

Background: Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), angina, and myocardial infarction are highly prevalent and serious issues within slum-dwelling Indian populations. Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) scoring determines one’s level of healthy behaviors and historically higher scores are linked with lower levels of these conditions. However, this strategy has not been tested in the Indian population. Objective: Describe the distribution of LS7 scores, both at the aggregate level and individual parameter level, and determine whether overall scores are linked with lower levels of CHD, angina, and infarction in slum-dwelling women living in Mysuru, India. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 607 women aged 40-64 years was carried out in six urban slums in Mysuru, India between October 2017 and May 2018. Participants were interviewed about their demographics and medical history. Health data and biological specimens were collected, and participants underwent a resting electrocardiogram for assessment of CHD. LS7 scores were calculated based on specific criteria. Logistic Regression was used to examine LS7 factors associated with CHD, angina, and infarction. Results: Most participants have never had a heart attack (90.6%), and most did not suffer from angina (78.42%) or heart disease (97.69%) at the time of data collection. Most participants fell into the middle tertile of scoring (77.27%), with roughly equal proportions ending up in the low (10.21%) and high tertiles (12.52%). Being in the highest LS7 score tertile provided lower odds (OR: 0.068; 95% CI: 0.003, 0.741) of having heart disease than being in the lowest tertile. Being in the highest LS7 tertile provided lower odds (OR: 0.361; 95% CI: 0.140, 0.977) of having angina than being in the lowest tertile. Conclusion: Higher LS7 scores were linked with lower levels of CHD and angina, similar to existing studies studying the link between LS7 scores and CHD. This suggests that health education is key for reducing CHD and angina-related morbidity.