This study was conducted using an adapted version of the HealthPartners Institute ModelHealthTM: Cardiovascular disease microsimulation model. ModelHealth: CVD is a collection of scientific evidence-based parameters, mathematical functions, and procedural logic—implemented using Visual Basic 6 and Microsoft Excel—designed to evaluate cardiovascular disease prevention policies at the population level. The primary unit of observation is a hypothetical person who takes on a variety of detailed attributes (such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, BMI, systolic blood pressure, disease status, etc.). The lifetime progression of these characteristics is simulated over time. Epidemiological data sourced from the Framingham Heart Study—a major cardiovascular disease surveillance study ongoing since 1948—plays an important role in this model’s construction.

The estimates in this report may not reflect current USPSTF recommendations. Readers are advised to check for updated recommendations at https://uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org.