Reports
The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Control Hypertension
Share this report and its executive summary with your colleagues and peers to help incorporate actionable strategies for reducing hypertension.
Million Hearts® Continues to Make Significant National Impact
Read the September 2020 impact statement to learn about the initiative’s current work and past successes.
Million Hearts®: 2012–2016 Final Report Addendum
This addendum was published in June 2020 as an update to the final report, Million Hearts®: Meaningful Progress 2012–2016. Read the addendum to learn more about the cardiovascular events that were prevented during the first 5-year period of the Million Hearts® initiative.
Million Hearts®: Meaningful Progress 2012–2016—A Final Report
Million Hearts® has aligned efforts across the country to prevent cardiovascular disease using a select set of evidence-based public health and clinical strategies. Although final numbers will not be available until 2019, we estimate that up to half a million cardiovascular events may have been prevented from 2012 through 2016.
Million Hearts® 2012: Building Strong Partnerships for Progress
In 2012, the initiative’s first year, Million Hearts® built strong partnerships to ensure steady progress toward preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. Check out just a few examples of how partners worked to improve heart health—a focus on the ABCS, using health information technology, and working in teams.
Learn more about Million Hearts®
CDC Vital Signs
Heart Age
September 2015
Is your heart older than you?
Reducing Sodium in Children’s Diets
September 2014
The pressure is on to keep blood pressure down.
Preventable Deaths from Heart Disease & Stroke
September 2013
Improving care can save more lives.
Getting Blood Pressure Under Control
September 2012
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Where’s the Sodium?
February 2012
About 90% of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet.
High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
February 2011
Cardiovascular diseases kill more than 800,000 U.S. adults each year.
Other Publications
Heart Disease & Stroke
US Trends in Premature Heart Disease Mortality Over the Past 50 Years: Where Do We Go from Here?external icon
Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine, September 2019
Prevalence and Cardiovascular Health Impact of Family History of Premature Heart Disease in the United States: Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2014external icon
Journal of the American Heart Association, 2019
Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2019 Update: A Report From the American Heart Associationexternal icon
Circulation, January 2019
Awareness of Heart Attack Symptoms and Response Among Adults—United States, 2008, 2014, and 2017
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, February 2019
Widespread Recent Increases in County-Level Heart Disease Mortality Across Age Groupsexternal icon
Annals of Epidemiology, October 2017
Emergency Department, Hospital Inpatient, and Mortality Burden of Atrial Fibrillation in the United States, 2006 to 2014external icon
American Journal of Cardiology, December 2017
Increasing Cardiac Rehabilitation Participation From 20% to 70%: A Road Map From the Million Hearts® Cardiac Rehabilitation Collaborative pdf icon[PDF – 423K]external icon
Mayo Clinic Proceedings, November 2016
Prevention of Stroke: A Strategic Global Imperativeexternal icon
Nature Reviews Neurology, July 2016
County Health Factors Associated with Avoidable Deaths from Cardiovascular Disease in the United States, 2006–2010external icon
Public Health Reports, May–June 2016
Changes in the Geographic Patterns of Heart Disease Mortality in the United States, 1973 to 2010 external icon
Circulation, March 2016
– Click hereimage icon to view an animated map that reflects the geographic shift in heart disease death rates in the U.S. between 1970 and 2010.
Disparities in Temporal and Geographic Patterns of Declining Heart Disease Mortality by Race and Sex in the United States, 1973–2010 external icon
Journal of the American Heart Association, December 2015
Use of Aspirin for Prevention of Recurrent Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Among Adults—20 States and the District of Columbia, 2013
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 2015
Trends in Mortality Rates by Subtypes of Heart Disease in the United States, 2000–2010 external icon
JAMA, November 2014
Predicted 10-Year Risk of Developing Cardiovascular Disease at the State Level in the U.S. external icon
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, November 2014
A Literature Review of Indirect Costs Associated with Stroke external icon
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, June 2014
Costs of Hospitalization for Stroke Patients Aged 18–64 Years in the United States external icon
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, June 2014
How Policy Makers Can Advance Cardiovascular Health external icon
Scientific American, June 2014
Trends and Disparities in Heart Disease Mortality Among American Indians/Alaska Natives, 1990–2009 external icon
American Journal of Public Health, June 2014
Million Hearts®: Prevalence of Leading Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors—United States, 2005–2012
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 2014
Factors Influencing the Decline in Stroke Mortality external icon
Stroke, February 2014
Added Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality Among U.S. Adults external icon
JAMA Internal Medicine, April 2014
Aspirin in the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease external icon
New England Journal of Medicine, January 2013
Taking Aim at America’s Number One Killer—One Key Heart Disease Risk Factor at a Time external icon
Health Affairs, May 2012
Trends in Cardiovascular Health Metrics and Associations With All-Cause and CVD Mortality Among U.S. Adults external icon
JAMA, March 2012
High Blood Pressure & Sodium
Notes from the Field: Characteristics of Million Hearts Hypertension Control Champions, 2012–2019
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, February 2020
Sodium Intake Among US School-Aged Children: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011–2012 external icon
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, November 2016
Sodium Intake Among U.S. Adults—26 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2013
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 2015
Patients With Undiagnosed Hypertension: Hiding in Plain Sight external icon
JAMA, November 2014
Trends in Blood Pressure Among Adults With Hypertension, United States, 2003 to 2012 external icon
Hypertension, November 2014
Hypertension Screening in Children and Adolescents—National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, United States, 2007–2010
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, September 2014
Disparities in Access to Care Among U.S. Adults With Self-Reported Hypertensionexternal icon
American Journal of Hypertension, May 2014
An Effective Approach to High Blood Pressure Control: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention external icon
Journal of the American College of Cardiology, April 2014
Geographic and Racial Patterns of Preventable Hospitalizations for Hypertension: Medicare Beneficiaries, 2004–2009 external icon
Public Health Reports, February 2014
Lessons Learned From Community-Based Approaches to Sodium Reduction external icon
American Journal of Health Promotion, February 2014
Progress of Health Plans Toward Meeting the Million Hearts Clinical Target for High Blood Pressure Control—United States, 2010–2012
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, February 2014
Protocol-Based Treatment of Hypertension: A Critical Step on the Pathway to Progressexternal icon
JAMA, January 2014
Sodium Reduction: An Important Public Health Strategy for Heart Health external icon
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, January 2014
Trends in the Prevalence of Excess Dietary Sodium Intake—United States, 2003–2010
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, December 2013
Association Between Usual Sodium and Potassium Intake and Blood Pressure and Hypertension Among U.S. Adults: NHANES 2005–2010 external icon
PLOS One, October 2013
Sodium Reduction Is a Public Health Priority: Reflections on the Institute of Medicine’s Report, Sodium Intake in Populations: Assessment of Evidence external icon
American Journal of Hypertension, October 2013
Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring: Comparative Effectiveness external icon
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, January 2012
Medicine & Public Health
The Million Hearts® Initiative: Guidelines and Best Practicesexternal icon
Nurse Practitioner, February 2016
Using Electronic Clinical Quality Measure Reporting for Public Health Surveillance
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 2015
Integrating Public Health and Primary Care Systems: Potential Strategies from an IOM Report external icon
JAMA, August 2012
If You’re Stricken, Minutes Matter, Yet Many Ignore Signs, Delay Treatment external icon
Wall Street Journal, April 2012
Opportunity in Austerity—A Common Agenda for Medicine and Public Health external icon
New England Journal of Medicine, February 2012