The heart
A muscular organ that pumps blood through the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients and helping remove waste products.
Your heart and blood vessels are part of a remarkable system that keeps oxygen and nutrients moving throughout your body. But healthy hearts are not created by individual choices alone.
Where we live, what food is available, the air we breathe, opportunities to be active, education, income, healthcare and public policies can all influence cardiovascular health.
estimated cardiovascular disease deaths globally in 2022.
WHO, 2025Move from understanding your own health to understanding the conditions that shape health for families, communities, countries and the world.
Discover the heart, blood vessels, blood pressure and stroke.
Build evidence-based knowledge about cardiovascular health.
Question why cardiovascular risks are not distributed equally.
Move from yourself to family, community, country and world.
Consider both personal choices and the conditions around us.
Identify constructive actions that young people can support.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels. They include conditions such as coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and other disorders of the circulatory system.
They remain the leading cause of death globally. WHO estimates that about 19.8 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in 2022. More than three quarters of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries.
Heart attacks and strokes are especially important because they can occur suddenly, while the conditions that increase their risk may develop silently over many years.
Think about sleep, movement, food, stress, friendships and the environments in which you spend your time.
Are healthy foods affordable and available? Does your family have safe places to be active?
Are there parks, sidewalks, recreation spaces and accessible healthcare services?
Governments, schools, businesses, health systems and international organizations all influence cardiovascular health.
A muscular organ that pumps blood through the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients and helping remove waste products.
Arteries carry blood away from the heart, while veins return blood toward the heart. Tiny vessels called capillaries connect the two.
Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of blood vessels. Persistently high blood pressure is called hypertension.
A stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is interrupted or when a blood vessel in the brain bleeds.
Hypertension means that blood pressure is persistently too high. Many people with hypertension do not feel any symptoms, which is why blood pressure measurement is important.
WHO estimated that 1.4 billion adults aged 30–79 years worldwide had hypertension in 2024. About 44% were estimated to be unaware that they had the condition.
Cardiovascular risk can be influenced by tobacco exposure, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, high salt intake, harmful alcohol use, high blood pressure, diabetes, abnormal blood lipids, obesity and air pollution.
But these risks do not exist in a vacuum. The food available in a neighbourhood, the price of healthy foods, transportation systems, opportunities for physical activity, working conditions, housing, education, income and access to healthcare can all shape exposure and opportunity.
There is no single "type" of person who develops cardiovascular disease. Ask what conditions shape people's choices and opportunities.
If healthier foods cost more or are difficult to find, how much freedom does a person really have to choose them?
How might safe sidewalks, parks, public transport and recreation spaces influence physical activity?
If air pollution increases cardiovascular risk, can individual behaviour alone solve the problem?
What happens when a person can reach a clinic but cannot afford medicines or obtain follow-up care?
Learn how sleep, movement, nutrition, stress, tobacco exposure and other factors can influence cardiovascular health.
Talk about healthy routines, support one another and notice how family resources and circumstances influence health.
Think about parks, schools, food environments, clean air, transportation and accessible health services.
Governments can regulate tobacco, improve food environments, strengthen primary healthcare and support affordable medicines.
International organizations help countries share evidence, develop standards, finance programs and monitor progress.
Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, learn, work, live and age.
Income can affect food choices, housing, transportation, recreation, healthcare access and the ability to manage chronic conditions.
Education can influence access to health information, understanding of risk and the ability to navigate health systems.
Safe housing, walkable communities, green spaces and clean air can create healthier conditions.
Prevention depends on affordable, available and acceptable primary healthcare, medicines, diagnostic services and follow-up.
Air pollution and other environmental exposures can contribute to cardiovascular risk.
A healthy society does not simply ask everyone to make the same choices. It works to ensure that everyone has meaningful opportunities to be healthy.
Preventing and controlling NCDs is central to achieving healthier lives and reducing premature mortality.
Socioeconomic inequalities can produce unequal cardiovascular risks and unequal access to prevention and treatment.
Safe, walkable and healthy communities can support physical activity and reduce harmful environmental exposures.
Climate and environmental conditions can influence cardiovascular health, making climate action part of health protection.
Food security and access to nutritious foods are important foundations for lifelong health.
Effective institutions, regulation, surveillance and accountability help create healthier environments.
Global health is a team effort. Different organizations have different responsibilities.
Develops global guidance, standards, surveillance systems and technical tools for cardiovascular disease and NCD prevention.
Supports countries in strengthening cardiovascular disease prevention and hypertension control through primary healthcare.
Supports policy and development approaches that address broader determinants and governance of NCDs.
Generates evidence and supports health-system and development investments relevant to NCD prevention and universal health coverage.
Produces global and national estimates that help researchers and decision-makers understand disease burden and trends.
Translate evidence into policies, prevention programs, primary care, regulation and services within communities.
GHE treats health knowledge as something that must be reviewed and updated as evidence changes.
Imagine two young people living in different communities. One has access to safe parks, affordable nutritious food and nearby healthcare. The other lives in an area with polluted air, limited recreation space and fewer healthcare resources.
Would it be fair to judge their health only by the choices they make?
Young people can contribute to healthier communities without being expected to solve structural problems on their own.
Learn about healthy habits, ask questions and develop a balanced understanding of cardiovascular health.
Share reliable health information and encourage supportive, non-judgmental conversations about health.
Explore how your school can support movement, healthy food, wellbeing and health literacy.
Ask how policies, environments and inequalities influence cardiovascular health—and use evidence to support better solutions.
CVDs affect the heart and blood vessels.
Hypertension can exist without noticeable symptoms.
Health is influenced by social and environmental conditions.
Healthy communities require supportive policies and systems.
10 questions covering knowledge, interpretation, application, social determinants, SDGs and health-system thinking.