According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 36 million (63 %) of the 57 million deaths that occurred in 2008 resulted from chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD), with particularly notable contributions from cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. Nearly 80 % of these deaths from chronic diseases (29 million) occurred in middle- and low-income countries (developing countries), and 26 % of these deaths were regarded as premature [1].

NCD are the most common cause of death in most American countries. In 2007, CVD accounted for 30 % of deaths from all causes in the Americas, including 662,011 deaths from ischemic heart disease (299,415 women and 362,596 men) and 336,809 deaths from cerebrovascular disease (183,689 women and 153,120 men). The situation is particularly complex in Latin America, where 40 % of deaths occurred during individuals’ most productive life stages [2].

In Brazil, similarly to other countries, NCD are the leading health problem, accounting for 72 % of deaths from all causes, with CVD (31.3 %), cancer (16.3 %), diabetes (5.2 %) and chronic respiratory disease (5.8 %) as the most notable NCD. These NCD affect individuals from all socioeconomic strata, with the greatest effects on vulnerable groups, including the elderly and individuals with little education and low incomes [3]. Approximately 300,000 Brazilians die each year from CVD, which include heart attack, stroke, cardiac and renal failure and sudden death; this death total corresponds to 820 deaths per day, 30 deaths per hour or one death every two minutes [3, 4].

The NCD-related situation involves high socioeconomic costs for countries, particularly low- and middle-income nations. Approximately 80 % of cases of CVD and type 2 diabetes and approximately one-third of cancer cases could be prevented if common risk factors, including tobacco smoking, physical inactivity, inadequate diet and alcohol abuse, could be eliminated [5].

Several determinants hinder the control of CVD, the primary contributor to NCD. The main determinants are a lack of awareness of the importance of CVD, which leads to a dearth of funding and resources for the prevention and control of these diseases; challenges associated with prioritizing government and donor resources targeting CVD; the impairment of healthcare services in low- and middle-income countries with respect to supporting the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of CVD; difficulties in relationships between governments and the private sector, which are complicated by conflicts between share holder interests and public health goals; uncertainty regarding the applicability and effectiveness of programs and services in the context of local implementation; and the fragmentation of global measures for preventing CVD [6].

There is a clear gap between the current knowledge published in the literature regarding the primary and secondary prevention of NCD and the implementation of planned actions in clinical practice. It is necessary to understand the complex relationship between healthcare policies and changes in individual behavior, which are affected by environmental factors and appropriate access to the healthcare system.

Recently, the WHO published a document titled The World Health Report 2013 that drew attention to the need for more creative research to expand the universal coverage provided by healthcare systems and reduce effectiveness gaps in the practical implementation of proposed measures. This report described a 5 % increase in investment in health-related research during the 2000s in low- and middle-income countries. The report also focused on the social mobilization that had occurred in these countries, emphasizing the fact that many publications were derived from emerging countries, including China, Brazil and India, and represented the result of collaborations among universities, governments, international organizations and the private sector. However, the report also noted the need to establish national and global networks to coordinate research, collaboration and information exchange among countries, with a focus on social inclusion as a means of modifying societies [7].