Each year, the American Heart Association (AHA), in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies, brings together in a single document the most up-to-date statistics related to heart disease, stroke, and the factors in the AHA's Life's Simple 7 (Figure(1)), which include core health behaviors (smoking, physical activity [PA], diet, and weight) and health factors (cholesterol, blood pressure [BP], and glucose control) that contribute to cardiovascular health. The Statistical Update represents a critical resource for the lay public, policy makers, media professionals, clinicians, healthcare administrators, researchers, health advocates, and others seeking the best available data on these factors and conditions. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke produce immense health and economic burdens in the United States and globally. The Update also presents the latest data on a range of major clinical heart and circulatory disease conditions (including stroke, congenital heart disease, rhythm disorders, subclinical atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart failure (HF), valvular disease, venous disease, and peripheral arterial disease) and the associated outcomes (including quality of care, procedures, and economic costs). Since 2006, the annual versions of the Statistical Update have been cited >20 000 times in the literature. In 2015 alone, the various Statistical Updates were cited approximate to 4000 times. Each annual version of the Statistical Update undergoes revisions to include the newest nationally representative data, add additional relevant published scientific findings, remove older information, add new sections or chapters, and increase the number of ways to access and use the assembled information. This year-long process, which begins as soon as the previous Statistical Update is published, is performed by the AHA Statistics Committee faculty volunteers and staff and government agency partners. This year's edition includes new data on the monitoring and benefits of cardiovascular health in the population, new metrics to assess and monitor healthy diets, a new chapter on venous disease and pulmonary hypertension (PH), new information on stroke in young adults, an enhanced focus on underserved and minority populations, a substantively expanded focus and chapter on the global burden of CVD, and further evidence-based approaches to changing behaviors, implementation strategies, and implications of the AHA's 2020 Impact Goals. Below are a few highlights from this year's Update.
