May Measurement Month 2017: Blood pressure screening results from Zambia-Sub-Saharan Africa

• Published in: European heart journal supplements 2019-04, Vol.21 (Suppl D), p.D130-D132
• Main Authors: Goma, Fastone Mathew, Mwewa, Beatrice, Tembo, Greenford K, Kachamba, Musonda, Syatalimi, Charity, Simweemba, Chabota, Chilufya, Lexina, Mutale, Wilbroad, Beaney, Thomas, Xia, Xin, Poulter, Neil R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1520-765X; 1554-2815
• DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/suz077

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a growing burden worldwide, leading to over 10 million deaths each year. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global initiative aimed at raising awareness of high BP and to act as a temporary solution to the lack of screening programmes worldwide. Prevalence of hypertension is reported to reach 34% in some areas of Zambia but public awareness is reportedly low. A majority of individuals do not know that they have high BP and others do not take any medication. An opportunistic cross-sectional survey of volunteers aged ≥18 was carried out in May 2017. Blood pressure measurement, the definition of hypertension and statistical analysis followed the standard MMM protocol. Measurement sites were set-up at shopping malls, markets, sports facilities, churches, higher institutions of learning, and urban clinics. A total of 9607 individuals were screened during MMM17. After multiple imputation, 2438 (25.9%) had hypertension. Of individuals not receiving anti-hypertensive medication, 1706 (19.6%) were hypertensive. Of individuals receiving anti-hypertensive medication, 438 (62%) had uncontrolled BP. The MMM for 2017 was the largest BP screening campaign undertaken in Zambia. The campaign identified 2438 individuals with hypertension who were given heart health advice and/or referred to the local clinic for treatment. These results suggest that a large BP screening campaign based on convenience sampling could be a useful and reasonably inexpensive tool to help raise awareness in the general population and thereby help address the burden of disease caused by hypertension.