During the decades after the start of the North Karelia Project in 1971, cardiovascular diseases and related noncommunicable diseases have emerged as the greatest global public health burden. The prevention and control of these diseases have thus become a major challenge and target for global public health, as emphasized by the Political Declaration of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2011. The experiences and results of the North Karelia Project have accordingly received much international attention and have in many ways contributed to the international work in the area, including the strategies and programs of the World Health Organization. The experience of the Project shows the great potential of population-based prevention of cardiovascular diseases and other noncommunicable diseases and that influencing lifestyles related to heart health with comprehensive health promotion and national policies is the cost-effective and sustainable way to improve contemporary public health.

Highlights

• The North Karelia Project has been a powerful demonstration on the potential of CVD prevention.
• The experience has been widely used as demonstration in international heart health work.
• The project experience supports and has in many ways contributed to the WHO and other strategies for prevention of CVDs and NCDs.