Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide (Lindstrom et al., 2022). In 2019, CVD were responsible for an estimated 18.6 million deaths globally, accounting for 32% of all deaths across the globe (World Health Organization, 2021). In the European Region, CVD are the predominant cause of disability and premature death, accounting for over 42.5% of all annual deaths that’s approximately 10,000 deaths each day (World Health Organization, 2024). Despite significant advances in medical treatment, the prevalence of CVD remains high, largely due to modifiable lifestyle factors. Unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and chronic stress are among the primary contributors to CVD risk (Rippe, 2018). Understanding how these lifestyle components affect heart health is essential for developing effective prevention and intervention strategies (Ghodeshwar et al., 2023).

This study analyses the prevalence of CVD in European countries and their association with lifestyle risk factors, based on Eurostat health data, health determinants and cause-of-mortality data. The study assessed how the main lifestyle components BMI, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption are associated with health indicators such as healthy life expectancy, subjective health assessment, prevalence of long-term health problems, arterial hypertension rates and CVD mortality.

Read the full study here: The impact of lifestyle factors on cardiovascular diseases