What’s next?

We hope that this course has helped you to understand how the cardiovascular system works, the causes and risk factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease and the effects that cardiovascular diseases have on the body. If you’re keen to continue learning more about the subject or support research into cardiovascular disease you may find the links below useful.

Support cardiovascular research

In the UK there are a number of charities that fund and conduct research into cardiovascular disease, such as the British Heart Foundation and Heart Research UK. There are many other charities around the world contributing to this important work. You might like to explore how you can support this through fundraising or taking part in events.

Improve your own heart health

There are a number of steps that you can take to improve your own cardiovascular health. These include:

Exercise

You could join a local exercise group, take a class or join a gym. Walking is a free form of exercise that you can do on your own, with friends or in groups. You could even get involved with organised walks, such as those run by Walking for health. If you have an existing cardiovascular condition, you should speak to your healthcare provider about what would be suitable for you.

Quit smoking

If you’re a smoker there’s lots of support available to help you give up. In the UK the NHS runs a Smokefree campaign with free expert support to help you kick the habit.

Change your diet

Did the results of your food diary surprise you? As you’ve learnt, diet can be a contributing factor to your risk of cardiovascular disease, so consider making some changes to help improve your heart health. Your healthcare provider can give you advice on changes to your diet.

Further study at the University of Reading

If you’re keen to take your learning to the next stage, there’s a range of courses on offer at the University of Reading that will help you to further your knowledge.

Undergraduate courses There are a number of undergraduate degrees on offer that cover the topics we’ve looked at as part of this course. These include:

• BSc Biomedical Sciences
• BSc Biological Sciences
• BSc Nutrition and Food Science
• MPharm Pharmacy

Postgraduate study If you’ve already got a degree, you might like to consider our MRes Biomedical Research or MSc Molecular Medicine. There is also a range of research opportunities available at our Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research (ICMR).

Find out more about Our 2020 virtual open days.

Keep on learning

If you’re keen to learn more about heart health, a good place to start is the British Heart Foundation website.

You may also be interested in It Starts with Your Heart: Understanding Heart and Circulatory Diseases, a FutureLearn course created by the British Heart Foundation.

The course explores:

• heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors.
• the impact of heart and circulatory diseases on a global, national and local scale.
• how these diseases are connected by your circulatory system.
• the British Heart Foundation’s research.

More free online courses

If you’ve enjoyed learning online, you may be interested in some of the other courses on offer from departments across the University of Reading. All of our courses on FutureLearn are free to join and can be taken by anyone (so please do recommend them to your family and friends).

Follow the Online Courses team on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news on all of UoR’s upcoming free, online courses.