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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Increase aspirin use for secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease — HDS‑08 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Source:  National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), CDC/NCHS

Baseline: 63.5 percent of adults aged 40 years and over with a history of cardiovascular disease were using aspirin in 2013-16

Target: 69.4 percent

Numerator
Number of adults aged 40 years and over with a history of cardiovascular disease who are taking aspirin.
Denominator
Number of adults aged 40 years and over with a history of cardiovascular disease.
Target-setting method
Minimal statistical significance
Target-setting method details
Minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline.
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were not available for this objective. The standard error was used to calculate a target based on minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline. This method was used because it was a statistically significant improvement from the baseline.

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)

From the 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey:

Numerator:
Doctors and other health care providers sometimes recommend that {you take/SP takes) a low-dose aspirin each day to prevent heart attacks, strokes, or cancer. {Have you/Has SP} ever been told to do this?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
{Are you/Is SP} now following this advice?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Sometimes
  4. Stopped aspirin use due to side effects
  5. Refused
  6. Don't know
On {your/SP's} own, {are you/is SP} now taking a low-dose aspirin each day to prevent heart attacks, strokes, or cancer?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
[NUMERATOR AND DENOMINATOR:]
Has a doctor or other health professional ever told {you/SP} that {you/s/he} . . .had angina, also called angina pectoris?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
Has a doctor or other health professional ever told {you/SP} that {you/s/he} . . .had coronary heart disease?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
Has a doctor or other health professional ever told {you/SP} that {you/s/he} . . .had a heart attack (also called myocardial infarction)?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know
How old {were you/was SP} when {you were/s/he was} first told {you/s/he} . . .had a stroke?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Refused
  4. Don't know

Methodology notes

Includes examined adults aged 40 years and over with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A history of CVD is defined as an answer of "yes" to any of the NUMERATOR AND DENOMINATOR questions.

Aspirin use was defined as a response of "yes" or "sometimes" to taking aspirin as recommended by a health care professional, self initiated aspirin use or aspirin/antiplatelet use identified in the prescription medication data files. Participants who reported that they "stopped aspirin use due to side effects" or were taking an anticoagulant (as identified in the Rx medication files) but not taking aspirin/antiplatelets were excluded as being at increased risk for bleeding.

Age-adjustment notes

This Indicator uses Age-Adjustment Groups:

  • Total: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Sex: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Race/Ethnicity: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Educational Attainment: 25-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Family Income (percent poverty threshold): 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Health Insurance Status: 40-49, 50-59, 60-64
  • Marital Status: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Country of Birth: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Veteran Status: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Activity Limitations: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Obesity Status: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Diabetes Status: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Modified, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 but underwent a change in measurement.
Changes between HP2020 and HP2030
This objective differs from Healthy People 2020 objective HDS-21 in that objective HDS-21 used data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) to track office visits to non-federal physicians in office-based practices by persons aged 18 years and over with a history of cardiovascular disease that included the prescription of aspirin or other antiplatelet medication, while this objective uses data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to track adults aged 40 years and over with a history of cardiovascular disease who report taking aspirin.
Revision History
Revised. 

The baseline was revised from 64.2% to 63.5% due to a correction in the survey weight from the exam to the interview subsample weight for all template lines except obesity. Coding corrections were also made to the activity limitations data lines. The target was revised from 69.7% to 69.4% using the original target setting method.