Cardiovascular health

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) refers to a group of diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels.

It includes including coronary artery disease, stroke, and heart failure.

It is often linked to high blood pressure, unhealthy diet, smoking, stress and being inactive.

Prevention therefore relates to supporting people to take steps to improve their health, so they don’t develop heart or circulatory disease or to prevent any further decline when a person already has CVD.

For example, if someone has high blood pressure, taking steps to reduce this or manage it, can prevent future problems.

CVD prevention is an essential area of Public Health

Making sure that people have a healthy heart and circulatory system is important due to the high numbers of people affected by CVD.

CVD is largely preventable. Addressing modifiable risk factors such as hypertension, smoking, physical inactivity and poor diet, can yield significant health improvements and will also benefit other major health conditions, maximising the impact of preventive interventions.

Key facts

• CVD disproportionately affects people living in deprived areas, certain ethnic population groups and people with serious mental health issues. It accounts for one-fifth of the life expectancy gap between the least deprived and most deprived areas. Black and South Asian communities are at higher risk of CVD.
• CVD is a leading cause of death and disability in London, with nearly 1,800 preventable circulatory disease deaths in under 75s in 2022. Focusing on CVD prevention could significantly reduce this burden and costs to the system.
• In London, recent mortality data suggests a slow-down and a potential reversal of the downward trend in CVD deaths seen over several decades, with one in four deaths being attributable to heart and circulatory diseases.

CVD prevention is an area of Public Health focus in Havering

Key facts

• Around 14,000 Havering residents do not know they have hypertension (JSNA, 2025) and are therefore at risk of future heart and CVD problems.
• In addition, 14.4 percent of the population (39,211 residents) in Havering are recorded to have hypertension in 2022 and are therefore at risk of future CVD problems.
• 2.4 percent of Havering residents (6,414 in number) were recorded to have coronary heart disease in 2022/23.

What we do in Havering

Key Initiatives

• Pioneers in the Million Hearts and Minds Initiative.
• NHS Health Checks.
• NHSE Hypertension Case Finding Service.
• Libraries – Blood pressure machines both in the library (sitting machines) and for loan.
• Point of Care Testing (PoCT) for cholesterol and blood sugar (HbA1C) levels.
• Awareness raising campaigns, such as Know Your Numbers week and Heart Health month.

How you can make a change

Members of the public can:

• stop smoking: Avoid tobacco and second hand smoke; quitting reduces the risk of heart disease by half within a year.
• follow a heart-healthy diet: A Mediterranean-style diet rich in fibre, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can contribute to better cardiovascular health. Limit saturated fats, trans fats, salt, and sugary foods.
• take regular exercise: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity (e.g., brisk walking, swimming) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
• maintain a healthy weight: Obesity increases the strain on the heart and risk of diabetes.
• manage conditions: Monitor and manage blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar (diabetes) through regular checkups.
• reduce stress and improve sleep: Practice stress-management techniques like meditation and ensure 7-8 hours of quality sleep nightly.

Professionals working in the area can:

• identify high-risk individuals, monitor blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, and provide lifestyle advice and support to access services.
• encourage people to look after their heart and to attend their NHS Health check when invited.
• support awareness raising campaigns such as Million Hearts and Minds initiative, Know Your Numbers week and Heart Health month.