Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are caused by disorders of the heart and blood vessels. They are the number one cause of death globally. CVDs include coronary heart disease (heart attacks), cerebrovascular disease (stroke), raised blood pressure (hypertension), peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and heart failure. Often, there are no symptoms of the underlying disease of the blood vessels – a heart attack or stroke may be the first warning of underlying disease. The major causes of CVDs are tobacco use, physical inactivity, an unhealthy diet and harmful use of alcohol. Therefore, most CVDs can be prevented by addressing these behavioural risk factors.