The impact of COVID-19 on the social determinants of cardiovascular health

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading non-communicable disease and cause of premature mortality globally. Despite well-established evidence of a cause-effect relationship between modifiable lifestyle behaviours and the onset of risk of chronic disease, preventative approaches to curtail increasing prevalence have been ineffective. This has undoubtedly been exacerbated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which saw widespread national lockdowns implemented to reduce transmission and alleviate pressure on strained healthcare systems. An unintended consequence of these approaches was a well-documented negative impact on population health in the context of both physical and mental well-being. Whilst the true extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global health has yet to be fully realised or understood, it seems prudent to review effective preventative and management strategies that have yielded positive outcomes across the spectrum (i.e., individual to society). There is also a clear need to heed lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic in the power of collaboration and how this can be used in the design, development, and implementation of future approaches to address the longstanding burden of CVD.