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Review
. 2020 Feb 26;86(1):21.
doi: 10.5334/aogh.2713.

Cardiovascular Diseases in Central and Eastern Europe: A Call for More Surveillance and Evidence-Based Health Promotion

Narine K Movsisyan  1 , Manlio Vinciguerra  1 , Jose R Medina-Inojosa  2 , Francisco Lopez-Jimenez  2
Affiliations
Review

Cardiovascular Diseases in Central and Eastern Europe: A Call for More Surveillance and Evidence-Based Health Promotion

Narine K Movsisyan et al. Ann Glob Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: The paper aims to identify the priorities for cardiovascular health promotion research in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the region with the highest cardiovascular diseases (CVD) burden in the world.

Methods: This narrative review covered peer-reviewed publications and online databases using a nonsystematic purposive approach.

Results: In despite of a steady decrease in CVD burden in the region, the East-West disparities are still significant. There is minimal continuity in the past and current CVD prevention efforts in the region. Many challenges still exist, including an opportunity gap in research funding, surveillance and population-based preventive interventions. A comprehensive approach focusing on multisectoral cooperation, quality and accessibility of healthcare and equity-oriented public policies and supported by well-designed epidemiologic studies is needed to overcome these challenges.

Conclusion: The current level of effort is not adequate to address the magnitude of the CVD epidemic in CEE. It is imperative to strengthen the epidemiological base concerning cardiovascular health in the region, to foster surveillance and progress in implementation of CVD preventive strategies in the most affected populations of Europe.

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Conflict of interest statement

The Authors declared no conflict of interest, all authors take responsibility for all aspects of the reliability and freedom from bias of the data presented and their discussed interpretation. All authors contributed to this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mortality from diseases of circulatory system in European region by group of countries, 1990–2015. Notes: 1 Includes Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan. 2 Includes Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and the Slovak Republic. 3 Includes Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in prevalence of daily smoking in selected countries in Europe, by sex, 2000–2015. Notes: Daily smoking in persons ≥15 years, 2000–2015. Data were not available for Russia and Ukraine after 2010.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Prevalence of obesity, high blood pressure, low fruit and vegetable consumption and physical inactivity in selected countries in Europe. Notes: Obesity defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m². High blood pressure: self-reported high blood pressure in the past 12 months. Low fruit and vegetable consumption: less than the daily recommendation of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. Physical inactivity: never exercising or playing sport.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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