For you and your community
Health is shaped by everyday life
Cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other non-communicable diseases are long-term conditions that are not passed from person to person. Many cases can be prevented, and the risk and impact of others reduced, by addressing factors such as alcohol use, tobacco use and nicotine dependence, unhealthy diets and insufficient physical activity.1
Prevention is not about being perfect or placing all responsibility on individuals. Small, realistic steps can support health, especially when people have clear information, practical support and surroundings that make healthier options easier, fairer and more accessible.1,2
What prevention means in daily life
Health is influenced by the decisions people make, but those decisions are shaped by the conditions around them.
It is easier to eat well when nutritious food is affordable and available. It is easier to move more when streets, parks, schools and workplaces are safe, accessible and supportive. It is easier to avoid tobacco and nicotine, or drink less alcohol, when people are protected from harmful marketing and exposure and can access support when they need it.1,2
Prevention therefore means both supporting people in their daily lives and creating surroundings that make healthier options easier, fairer and more realistic for everyone.2
Four areas where prevention can make a difference
Four closely connected areas can have a major influence on long-term health: alcohol, tobacco and nicotine, nutrition and physical activity. Alcohol use, tobacco use and nicotine dependence, unhealthy diets and insufficient physical activity can increase health risks. Healthy eating and regular physical activity, by contrast, can help protect health.
Alcohol
Drinking less alcohol lowers health risks. There is no risk-free level of alcohol consumption, and the less alcohol you drink, the lower your risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and other harms.3
Tobacco & Nicotine
Tobacco damages nearly every organ in the body and causes cancer, cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases and other serious conditions. Nicotine is highly addictive. Not starting is best, and people who want to stop do not have to do it alone: advice and support can help.4
What can you do?
Everyone’s circumstances are different. Prevention should never be about blame or perfection. Small, realistic changes can support health, especially when they fit your needs, abilities, resources and daily life. The suggestions below reflect public health guidance across alcohol, tobacco and nicotine, nutrition and physical activity.2–6
Depending on what feels relevant and possible for you, you could:
- Choose alcohol-free drinks or days, or drink less often.
- If you use tobacco or nicotine and want to stop, seek advice and support.
- Keep your home and car free from tobacco smoke and aerosols.
- Drink water more often instead of sugary drinks.
- Add vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes such as beans, lentils or chickpeas when possible.
- Move in ways that fit your life and abilities.
- Break up long periods of sitting when you can.
- Support friends or family members who want to make a change.
- Look for health information from trusted sources.
- Begin with one change that feels realistic.
The goal is not perfection. It is finding changes that support your health and can last.
Healthy choices are easier when places support them
People should not have to support their health alone. Families, schools, workplaces, communities, municipalities and governments all help shape the conditions in which people live.
When healthier options are visible, affordable, accessible and treated as normal, they become easier and more realistic for everyone.2
Supportive surroundings can include:
Smoke-free and aerosol-free public spaces
Appealing alcohol-free options
Affordable, nutritious food
Free and safe drinking water
Safe and accessible walking, cycling and wheeling routes
Parks, green spaces and places to be active
Clear and reliable health information
Accessible advice and support services
Inclusive community activities
Prevention should support people, not blame them
Not everyone has the same opportunities to live a healthy life. Income, education, housing, employment, transport, disability, age, gender, discrimination, local services and social support can all influence health and access to healthier options.2
Prevention should therefore support people, not blame them for circumstances they may have limited power to change. Some people face greater barriers or higher levels of harm and may need additional or more tailored support.
A fair approach recognises that people have different starting points. It combines reliable information and accessible services with action to make healthier options more affordable, available and realistic for everyone.2
Small steps are easier with support
Prevention can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other non-communicable diseases. But protecting health should not be something people are expected to manage alone.1,2
Drinking less alcohol, avoiding or quitting tobacco and nicotine, eating well and moving more can all support health. These changes are easier when families, communities, services, workplaces and public spaces support them.2–6
The goal is simple: give everyone a fair opportunity to protect their health by making healthier options easier, more affordable and more accessible.2
Explore the prevention areas
Evidence and further reading
The information and recommendations on this page are based on evidence and guidance from trusted public health organisations.
- Noncommunicable diseases
World Health Organization - Social determinants of health
World Health Organization - Alcohol
World Health Organization - Tobacco and nicotine
World Health Organization - Nutrition for a healthy life – WHO recommendations
WHO Regional Office for Europe - Physical activity
World Health Organization
