JACC report finds U.S. heart health stalled and in some ways worse

The inaugural JACC Cardiovascular Statistics 2026 report, led by Rishi Wadhera, warns that measures of U.S. cardiovascular health have largely stalled and in some areas worsened, with immediate consequences for prevention and mortality trends nationwide. The analysis finds one in two U.S. adults suffer from high blood pressure, with little change between 2009 and 2023, and only two in three adults with hypertension receive medical treatment, a treatment rate that has not improved since 2009–2010.

The report, published with DOI 10.1016/j.jacc.2025.12.027 and indexed at PMID 41524687, compiles contemporary statistics on major cardiovascular risk factors and conditions that account for most heart-related deaths and disability. It explicitly reviews hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cholesterol, and cigarette smoking, and the conditions coronary heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, and stroke.

Despite advances in therapies and growing clinical knowledge, the report concludes that “Cardiovascular risk factors—hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cholesterol, and cigarette smoking—remain prevalent among U.S. adults, with persistent gaps in prevention and treatment.” It further states that “across cardiovascular conditions—coronary heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, and stroke—long-term gains in mortality are slowing or reversing, with ongoing gaps in quality of care and persistent health disparities.”

Wadhera frames the trends as rooted in systems and environments rather than individual failure. “The problem … is ‘uniquely American,’” he said. “The declines didn’t happen by accident,” he said. “They were the consequence of sustained education, prevention, public health efforts, health system efforts, and so on.” On drivers of obesity and behavior he added, “There are obviously genetic determinants of obesity, but at the same time, we do have to think about how our communities are constructed, how our environments are constructed, and whether they make it easy for people to make healthy choices.”

The report is presented as an annual synthesis intended to inform patients, clinicians, researchers, public health professionals, policymakers, and the public. Its stated purpose is to provide “a clear, comprehensive, and accessible snapshot of cardiovascular health in the United States” and to serve as “an annual benchmark to guide clinical practice, inform health policy, and promote accountability in efforts to improve cardiovascular health and outcomes for all.”

Policy implications are direct. The authors hope the accessible presentation of trends will help clinicians and researchers and also policymakers whose decisions shape structural factors tied to disparities and community design. The findings suggest that clinical advances alone are insufficient to reverse population-level trends without coordinated public health, policy, and environmental changes that facilitate healthier choices.

The report is titled JACC Cardiovascular Statistics 2026 even though the DOI record indicates an online assignment in December 2025. The published abstract and summaries provide high-level results and the major numerical signals cited above but do not include detailed methodology, demographic breakdowns, or state-level tables in the summary text. Readers and policymakers seeking full methods, complete author list, and detailed time-series or subgroup analyses should consult the full JACC report (DOI 10.1016/j.jacc.2025.12.027; PMID 41524687) for comprehensive data and recommendations.