Journal of Gerontology: MEDICAL SCIENCES © 2009 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons

HYPERTENSION, dyslipidemia, and diabetes are estab-lished risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality ( 1). Adults aged 65 and older are dis-proportionately affected by these factors, and although they make up only 12 % of the total United States (U.S.) popula-tion, they incur 62 % of national health care expenses for heart conditions ( 2, 3). CVD risk reduction strategies among older adults can lead to a decline in premature CVD morbidity and mortality ( 4 – 7). However, the past decade has shown a gen-eral increase in CVD risk factors in this population along with suboptimal control rates. CVD mortality remains the number one cause of death among adults aged 65 and older, account-ing for 31 % of all deaths in this age group in 2003 ( 8 – 11). The prevalence and management (treatment and control) of cardiovascular risk factors among elderly people aged 65 and older has not been well described, yet this population wil