In 2023, the American Heart Association released a new tool called PREVENT: Predicting Risk of cardiovascular disease EVENTs. Feed it a handful of numbers most adults already have on a routine lab report, and it estimates your odds of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure over the next 10 and 30 years. It was built and validated on more than 3 million U.S. adults, and unlike the older calculators it replaced, it folds in kidney and metabolic health and drops race as an input (Khan et al. 2024).
A resting heart rate or a mile time measures where your body is today. A forecast like PREVENT looks forward: it turns those everyday numbers into your 10- and 30-year odds, then flags which of them is doing the most to push those odds up. Those flagged drivers are what you can still change, which is what makes the forecast worth running.
Before you start
The quiz below is a convenience version of the AHA PREVENT equations, built so you can get a quick estimate without leaving this page. For the official calculator (and the definitive number to discuss with your clinician), use the AHA’s own tool at professional.heart.org.
This is an educational estimate, not medical advice or a diagnosis. It doesn’t replace a conversation with your doctor, and no single number should drive a treatment decision on its own. PREVENT is validated for adults aged 30–79 without existing cardiovascular disease. Under 30? PREVENT isn’t the right tool for you yet; our companion heart-health score, built on the AHA’s Life’s Essential 8, works at any age.
This tool is for general education and creates no medical or other professional relationship. Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice because of a result you see here. You use this information voluntarily and at your own risk, and Hoch Health and Wellness LLC accepts no liability for any loss or harm arising from its use.
Run your forecast
Answer a few questions. It moves one at a time, and your estimate appears at the end. If you don’t have your lab numbers handy, you can still get a rough read; just pick “Not right now” when asked.
What each answer is doing
The forecast isn’t a black box. Every question maps to a well-established driver of cardiovascular risk, and understanding them is the useful part, because most are things you can change.
- Age. The single strongest input, and the one you can’t edit. Risk compounds over time, which is exactly why the 30-year view matters more when you’re younger: a modest 10-year number can sit on top of a large 30-year one.
- Cholesterol: the ratio, not just the total. PREVENT uses non-HDL cholesterol (everything that isn’t the “good” kind) as the harmful side, and HDL as protective. That’s why two people with the same total cholesterol can carry very different risk.
- Blood pressure. Systolic pressure (the top number) is one of the most modifiable inputs here. The equation even accounts for whether you’re already on medication for it.
- Diabetes. High blood sugar quietly damages blood vessels over years, and it’s one of the heaviest single factors in the model.
- Smoking. Current smoking pushes the number up sharply, and quitting is one of the fastest ways to bring it back down.
- Kidney function (eGFR). This is the surprise for most people. Your kidneys and your heart are on the same team, and reduced kidney function is a real, independent predictor of heart disease. It’s a big reason PREVENT is sharper than the calculators before it.
Notice what’s not on the list: a lab test for “fitness.” That’s not because exercise doesn’t matter; it’s because training acts through these numbers. It lowers blood pressure, lifts HDL, improves blood sugar, and protects kidney function. Your VO₂ max doesn’t appear in the equation, but it’s quietly moving half the inputs. If you want to see that engine directly, the one-mile walk test estimates it in a single mile.