Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Aug 7;27(1):121.
doi: 10.1007/s11886-025-02277-w.

The Impact of Federal and State Laws on Cardiovascular Risk

Belinda L Needham  1 , Darya A Dokshina  2
Affiliations
Review

The Impact of Federal and State Laws on Cardiovascular Risk

Belinda L Needham et al. Curr Cardiol Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: To summarize recent studies examining the impact of federal and state laws on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Recent findings: We identified 38 relevant studies that were published in the past five years. Results of the narrative review indicate that laws related to structural racism, education, income, healthcare, the food environment, food insecurity, the built environment, transportation, air pollution, tobacco, alcohol, diet, and physical activity may impact CVD risk. Results were most consistent among studies examining laws related to air pollution, tobacco, and alcohol, and least consistent among studies examining laws related to the food environment and food insecurity. Federal and state laws have the potential to shape CVD risk by impacting the social, environmental, and behavioral determinants of health.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Federal and state laws; Legal epidemiology; Narrative review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent: This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Social, environmental, and behavioral determinants of cardiovascular risk
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
PubMed search query
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Di Cesare M, Perel P, Taylor S, Kabudula C, Bixby H, Gaziano TA, et al. The heart of the world. Glob Heart. 2024;19:11. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Coronado F, Melvin SC, Bell RA, Zhao G. Global responses to prevent, manage, and control cardiovascular diseases. Prev Chronic Dis. 2022;19:220347. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yeates K, Lohfeld L, Sleeth J, Morales F, Rajkotia Y, Ogedegbe O. A global perspective on cardiovascular disease in vulnerable populations. Can J Cardiol. 2015;31:1081–93. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tomaselli G, Roach WH, Piña IL, Oster ME, Dietz WH, Horton K, et al. Government continues to have an important role in promoting cardiovascular health. Am Heart J. 2018;198:160–5. - PubMed
    1. Perdue WC, Mensah GA, Goodman RA, Moulton AD. A legal framework for preventing cardiovascular diseases. Am J Prev Med. 2005;29:139–45. - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources