{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T13:25:13Z","timestamp":1790601913909,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,14]],"date-time":"2025-08-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755129600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Europe. The cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) with the greatest clinical impact are high blood pressure (HBP), type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), smoking, overweight, obesity, dyslipidaemia, and sedentary lifestyle. The objective of this review was to compare the prevalence of the different CVRFs according to population-based studies conducted in the European Union. Methods: This systematic review aimed to assess the prevalence of CVRFs in the European Union. A comprehensive search strategy was employed, including databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using specific keywords related to cardiovascular risk factors, prevalence, and European countries. The quality of the reviewed studies was assessed using established criteria, categorising them as low, moderate, or high quality. Results: A total of 26 studies from Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden were included. The findings revealed considerable variability in the prevalence of CVRFs across the European Union, with overweight, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension being the most frequently reported. Prevalence rates varied notably by country, age group, and sample characteristics. The majority of the included studies were of moderate methodological quality, underscoring the need for more rigorous research to better support evidence-based policies and targeted health interventions. Conclusions: There are differences between the studies presented, ranging from the sex ratio, the age studied, to even the CVRFs included. This also means that the prevalence of each CVRF varies by country.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14165752","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,14]],"date-time":"2025-08-14T15:44:21Z","timestamp":1755186261000},"page":"5752","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Adults in the European Union: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-2140-3427","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jennifer","family":"Sacramento-Pacheco","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de Candelaria Nursing University School, University of La Laguna, 38010 San Crist\u00f3bal de La Laguna, Spain"},{"name":"Europe South Training Center (Cesur Tenerife), 38006 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3900-292X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mar\u00eda Bego\u00f1a","family":"S\u00e1nchez-G\u00f3mez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"C\u00e1tedra de Enfermer\u00eda, University of La Laguna, 38200 San Crist\u00f3bal de La Laguna, Spain"},{"name":"Research in Health and Social Care Sciences Program, Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM), 30107 Murcia, Spain"},{"name":"Cieza Este Health Centre, Murcia Health Service, 30530 Murcia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gonzalo","family":"Duarte-Cl\u00edments","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"C\u00e1tedra de Enfermer\u00eda, University of La Laguna, 38200 San Crist\u00f3bal de La Laguna, Spain"},{"name":"Cieza Este Health Centre, Murcia Health Service, 30530 Murcia, Spain"},{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, International University of Valencia (VIU), 46002 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9053-7730","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan","family":"G\u00f3mez-Salgado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sociology, Social Work and Public Health, Faculty of Labour Sciences, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain"},{"name":"Safety and Health Postgraduate Program, Universidad Esp\u00edritu Santo, Guayaquil 092301, Ecuador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2291-1505","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mar\u00eda Mercedes","family":"Novo-Mu\u00f1oz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Group IENFERCAN, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, University of La Laguna, 38200 San Crist\u00f3bal de La Laguna, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"540","DOI":"10.1016\/j.aucc.2018.09.008","article-title":"Cardiovascular risk assessment tools: A scoping review","volume":"32","year":"2019","journal-title":"Aust. 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