Lay summary
Arterial function is an emerging cardiovascular disease risk factor, which can be assessed by measures derived from the pressure wave in the arteries which occurs when the heart contracts to force blood through the vascular system. Recently, simple devices have become available which measure the arterial waveform by the oscillometric methods routinely used to measure blood pressure in clinical practice. We plan to collect waveform data from a large sample of patients attending Auckland general practices, to determine if the waveform measures improve the prediction of cardiovascular disease. If so, this method of measuring arterial function could become widely used by general practice staff in the near future, with the potential to improve clinical management by preventing cardiovascular disease and reducing health costs.